


Intoxicated

by EverescentlyS



Category: Nerve - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fanfiction, david franco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-29 11:30:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7682800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverescentlyS/pseuds/EverescentlyS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It seems to me, that his love - our love - could be labeled poison and I would drink it, I would drink it willingly always."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

I can feel him staring at me.

I always can.

When he does it's like my whole body ignites. As if it's answering a call only he can make, only I can answer.

I try and keep my eyes on the board, I try to keep my eyes on the professor in front of me but it's like the more the I try the more I can feel every fiber in my body yearning to turn to him.

His scorching gaze burns me and I try to throw into mind the many things that I've lost because of him.

My friends, my brother, my mother - yet despite all of these things that he's put me through and despite me trying my best to not give into this impossibly magnetic pull, I can't help but remember all the breathless moments.

The nights spent tangled with him, the early mornings cooking in the kitchen, the Sundays spent lounging on his couch - I turn to the right, eyes scanning over the heads of my classmates as if searching for something - a useless gesture, I knew exactly where he was.

Four seats to the right and one down.

Chocolate eyes meet my blue and I feel as if the wind has been knocked out of me.

I look away before I can do something stupid like smile or wave or one of those things that you're not supposed to do when someone that's been such a huge part of your life hurts you in the worst way possible.

I look away but the voice in my head wonders if it'll always be like that. Will I always feel like that about him? Will it always be this constant pull, this constant gravitational tug towards him despite being in a large lecture of hall of at least a hundred students?

Will I always love him?


	2. One

_Dear diary,_

_Bri is dragging me to a party tonight. She claims - for the eight day in a row - it's not right to be staying at home on a Friday night when you're a freshman in college. I gave in only because I was not ready to sit and listen  to round eight of her "live life, be free, spread your wings" speech and besides, what could happen in five minutes? I would smile, say hi to my classmates and then leave before people started puking and dry humping against a tree. Five minutes - maybe ten tops - but that was it._

When we got there, Sam - the designated driver for the night - parked right beside a black motorcycle and Bri and I stepped out. Her taking a good three minutes since she was wearing one of those body-con dresses that restricted your legs to the point where you couldn't run or in Bri's case, step out of a car in the usual ten seconds.

"I can't believe you dressed up so much for a bonfire." I said as she finally stepped onto her feet, heels hitting the ground in the familiar sound of high heels on concrete.

"I can't believe you didn't! How are you going to get any if you're dressed so plain?"

I looked down at my own outfit. Skinny blue jeans and dark blue satin tank top. I didn't think it was that plain and besides, I wasn't looking to "get any" - I was barely looking at all.

It was the annual bonfire. A symbol for igniting the new school year as well as hyping the student body for the upcoming football game.

Kind of dumb, really, having a bunch of drunk teenagers near an equally massive in size bonfire - if someone didn't end up with a second degree burn, I would be genuinely surprised.

"Let's go get some drinks, yeah?" Sam asked, earning a hoot of approval from Bri and a soured expression from me.

If parties weren't my thing, drinking - of course - was definitely not as well.

When we approached the nearest table, three red cups were handed to us by two tall fraternity brothers. I took mine just so Bri wouldn't lecture me about her favorite slogan and the importance of embracing, "YOLO".

"Let's go over to the frat guys?" Bri asked and Sam and I both rolled our eyes, earning a playful wink from her before she led the way over to a group of drunk guys that were shouting the lyrics of some trashy, mainstream hit.

As soon as she was in earshot of the group, she shouted a greeting before pulling one of the guys into a hug. Sam and I, stayed a few feet away from the scene.

There was a part of me that envied her ability to be so care free, to be so confident in her skin but I guess that's what happened when you looked like one of those models straight out of a magazine spread.

I could tell Sam was eyeing a brunette that was a little bit to the right of us and I nudged his arm.

"Go ahead." I said, nodding in her direction.

Sam's eyes widened in surprise, "and leave you alone?"

I rolled my eyes. Just because I hadn't gone to a party with them didn't mean I didn't know how to handle myself in situations like this.

"I'll be fine, go and talk to her before a frat guy gets to her!"

Sam gave me one of his crooked smiles before saying goodbye and reminding me to find him if I wanted to leave. I didn't mention my plan about calling an Uber to go back to the dorms, instead I nodded and wished him good luck with his pursuit.

With one last glance at Bri, who was currently grinding on the same guy she'd hugged earlier, I tossed my red cup in the nearest trash bin and looked for one of those temporary restrooms.

It took me a solid three minutes but I finally found some kind of indication that there was a toilet available and that guests were not just expected to do their business out in the open. At the corner of the bonfire, there were a couple of arrows and signs pointing towards the forest that read "to restrooms", I texted Bri and Sam that I was leaving before following those signs.

So far the plan was, use the restroom, order and Uber, get back to the dorm and change into a pair of sweats so I could continue watching Game of Thrones.

The further I followed the signs, the darker and quieter it got. I cursed quietly. I should have just skipped the entire restroom trip and just ordered the Uber instead.

I pointed my phone towards the path in front of me, so that the screen's light would help me avoid tripping on some tree root or a large stone.

I was just about ready to give up when I finally saw those green portable toilets. It didn't smell of anything yet since the party was just beginning so I quickened my pace.

Pee and go. Pee and go.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" A deep voice, somewhere off to her right made her blood turn cold and her feet halt.

"Dave, look, I don't want to play anymore-" Another voice, slightly higher pitched than the first but still a male.

A loud thud, followed by a grunt and I gasped, my hand coming to cover my mouth when the surprised sound slipped through my lips. Was someone getting into a fight?

"Dave, pl-"

I was crouched low. Hiding in only the darkness of the forest around me as my eyes searched the trees for the owners of the two voices.

"This is not just a game, you know that -"

"I won't snitch I swear but I just can't do this anymore."

"They won't let you go just like that, you owe them, we all do, Nate."

I didn't know why I wasn't running back towards the party. This was obviously a conversation that I wasn't meant to hear between two guys that didn't want to be seen but I couldn't help it. The more I heard the more I wanted to understand. What game? What did they owe?

"Please, I can't live like this anymore, just let me go."

Another thud and there was a painful cry. Startled by the sound, I lost balance, my shoes skidding against the dirt as I tried not to fall over.

"Shut the fuck up." The first guy said to the other and I knew that he'd heard me.

Fear spread through my nerves and I was finally, up on my feet and running away from whatever I had just heard. Screw my curiosity. I didn't want to end up as the cat who died because of it.

I'd almost made it back to the first sign.

I'd almost made it back to the party untouched.

But the second my eyes caught sight of the blazing bonfire, a body crashed into me and I was being tackled onto the ground.

"Get off of me!" I yelled only to have a cloth smothered across my face.

Whatever fight I could have presented to my attacker, I lost that chance when the chloroform hit my nose and filled my mouth.

There were dark spots in my vision, shadows that I could not make out but in the midst of it all, I did manage to catch a blurry image of the guy who'd knocked me over.

Strong brows and a chiseled jaw.

I wasn't sure but I think my last thought was "at least he's good looking".


	3. Two

Cold. I was extremely cold.

For a second, while my eyes adjusted to the change in light, I wondered if I just imagined everything. Maybe I made my way home and crashed before realizing so. Maybe I'd just blacked out from exhaustion.

But then the area around me became more clear and I saw dark, brick walls instead of the white ones in the dorms and I realized that I was laying on concrete floor not the dorm bed.

And then I remembered what had happened. Two voices. Fighting about something - _a game._ And then I'd run and someone had caught me before I could make it back to the party in time.

"Is she awake, yet? I hate feeling like we're just fuckin' babysitting."

It was a voice different than the other two. Rougher and deeper.

"Will you quit complaining? Dave's going to be here soon and then he'll take her."

It then occurred to me that the "her" that they were speaking about was me. And that Dave - one of the two voices that I'd heard - was about to take me somewhere.

I looked around.

A red, brick room with no other ways of escape other than the main door that the two men that were currently discussing my state of conscience behind. I don't know why I bothered to look for an escape route. There was no chance I had the skills or the agility to climb out of a window or the strength to break down a second door.

There were footsteps followed by shuffling and I pushed myself up so that I was sitting with my back against the brick wall. My head throbbed.

The door of the room opened, jolting me further upright. 

My attacker wore a smug smile and his strides were bold with the type of arrogance only men who were told that they were great when they really weren't, had.

But perhaps, he was great. Under any other circumstances I would probably have squeezed Bri's hand and gushed about how attractive he was but I'd been kidnapped and held hostage so my hormones were definitely being cast aside.

"Good, you're awake."

I had been right. Dave definitely was the first voice; the one that had spoken about the game and not being able to escape it.

He crouched beside me and I instinctively backed up. Somewhere, deep down in a part of my mind, the thought that had occurred to me before completely losing consciousness, occurred once more. Only this time, in the dim yet strong enough light in the room, I was able to actually see all.

Strong brows. A milky brown head of hair, slightly lighter at the tips. Defined jaws and a crooked smirk that kind of reminded me of the ones you always read about in love novels. The one where it kind of antagonizes you but at the same time, makes you weak in the knees.

When that smirk grew, I realized that I'd been staring.

"What do you want with me?"

Oh god. Was I really resorting to horror movie cliched dialogue?

"Just to know what you heard back there."

I'd actually heard enough to make me want to know more but if it was anything that those horror flicks taught me it was that they always killed off the ones that knew too much.

"Nothing."

"Did you _have_ to knock me out?" I added.

The man that I still assumed to be Dave, shrugged, eyebrows raising with the action.

"That was more for fun."

Two chuckles sounded from behind the door and I clenched my jaw. _So this was some kind of joke?_

"You're sick." I spat. Standing up as I did, so that I was towering over him.

Anger flashed in his brown eyes and he leapt up to his feet. A step towards me and suddenly I felt like the air around me was thicker. Maybe I was having a panic attack...didn't they describe it like that? Like all the air around you gets sucked up and you can't really breathe so all you do is hold your breath? My gut told me that this wasn't the case.

"Careful with that mouth, I can do a lot more than just knock you out."

I bit my lip, silenced by his threat.

He leaned forward and for a second, I thought he was about to stay true to his words and punch me or something and I immediately brought my hands to my face. In this moment, I wished that I'd actually listened to my mom and taken one of those self-defense classes.

Instead of his fist connecting to my ribs or something as equally painful, his hands wrapped around my wrist and pulled towards him. Instinctively, I pulled away.

"Let me go!" I tried to yell but the fear that I felt was tightening my throat and it came out more like a breathy request.

"If you want to fucking get out and go home then you have to follow me." His jaws were clenched and I could see that he was getting frustrated.

 _"I can do a lot more than just knock you out"._ His words echoed in my ears and I slowly, stepped in the direction he had pulled.

Once led out of the room and into the equally dim hallway, I couldn't help but wonder where I was being dragged off to.

"Where are we going?"

"Why would you think I would tell you?"

"Are you going to rape me?" The question was out before I could think it over.

His head snapped towards me. And for a second, I saw a flash of surprise in his eyes. Another second and the same, cold and distant brown from the room that I'd been held in replaced the genuine expression.

"Fuck no." He replied.

The disgust in his tone made a part of me wonder if it was me or if it was the question that I had asked.   
Another part of me wanted to smack myself for even questioning why his answer was a "no".

"Where are you taking me then?"

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Are you always this creepy?"

His stopped and suddenly I was being pushed up against the brick walls of the hallway. My back hitting the stone with enough force to make me loose my breath.

I know I should have been scared or I should have been fighting but all I was doing was breathing a little to heavily and burning a little to much in the place where his and was pinning me against the wall by my waist. I kept my eyes trained on his angry ones.

"If you don't fucking shut up, I _will_ shut you up." Dave growled. Eyes a bitter brown.

Before I could respond, he began to walk again, this time, pulling on my wrist a lot more forcefully than he had before.

I didn't know how many turns we made but by the time we reached a black and curtained door, I was certain that I really wasn't going home and that curiosity had really had killed the cat. The cat being me and the curiosity being the mistake of not leaving as soon as I had heard them talking in the forest.

In the time that had taken to get here, I'd also managed to run the many scenarios that could take place once I walked in through those doors. All of them ended in me being dead or being held hostage for the rest of my life so I was thoroughly frightened and suddenly no longer thought Dave to be as attractive. He could very much be my murderer. There was no way I was going to fawn over his Greek god-like features when this day could be my last.

Dave knocked. Once. Then twice when whoever that was on the other side of the door didn't open up.

"Who's there?"

"Dave."

There was the sound of several locks unlocking and then the door knob turned and Dave and I were met by a tall, freakishly buff guy.

I didn't know what was weird. The fact that this guy was in a suit or the fact that this suddenly looked like some scene from Sam's favorite movie, the Godfather.

The guy nodded once and stepped to the side.

The room that we entered was more of a waiting room. To one side there was a pool table with two other men who were as equally buff and tall as the first. To the other side, there were two sofa couches.

"Sit." Dave ordered, letting go of my wrist to push me in the direction of the couches.

I suddenly didn't want him to leave. With Dave I had a much better chance at fighting off. These three guys that were borderline giants, I would be swatted away like some fly.

But fear of Dave's reaction made me bite my tongue and I walked over to the couch. My other hand clutching the wrist that he had gripped. It ached from the pressure.

"Anthony, watch her please. I need to talk to him."

The sick smile that the first guy who's name was Anthony, gave me made my stomach drop. If I had eaten in the past few hours, I was fairly certain that the anxiety I felt was enough to make me throw up.

I didn't know how long went by. I wasn't very good at keeping time but the more gross and suspiciously perverted glances I got from the three men that Dave had left me with, the more time seemed to slow down.

I could hear muffled voice coming from the second door that Dave had disappeared into.

I crossed my legs, keeping my eyes trained on the floor right beside my foot so that I didn't end up meeting Anthony's or his equally gross friends' eyes.

The silk tank that Bri had thought wasn't revealing enough for the bonfire, suddenly felt too revealing. I crossed my arms as well.

"What are you in here for?"

 _Fuck._ Anthony was talking to me.

"Huh?" I squeaked.

"Why are you here with _Dave_?"

"I-I don't know." My voice was coming out unusually high pitched and I wondered if Anthony thought he was talking to a girl or a mouse.

"You're too pretty to be here with him, you know."

I wanted to scream help or something in the direction that Dave had went but the thought that Dave would be no help against a guy that obviously knew him crossed my mind and I kept my mouth shut.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Anthony sit on the sofa couch beside me. I glanced up at him, fear making me flinch away.

His mouth opened to say something but then the door swung open and he stood up.

Dave stepped out with a deep scowl on his features.

"Get up, let's go." He growled in my direction.

I immediately stood, grateful to be away from Anthony but at the same time, anxious about Dave's shift in mood. He was angry before but now his fists were clenched by his side and he was stomping across the room.

"I'll see you around." Anthony promised, smirking at me in the most disgusting way that I almost ran towards Dave.

When we were out of the room, I considered telling Dave about his creepy bodyguard-ish friend but he was back to dragging me through the hallway so I kept my mouth shut and followed.

Stepping outside was a blinding experience. My eyes had become accustomed to the dimness of the hallways and the room that I'd woken up to but once Dave pushed the doors open and the sunlight hit my eyes, I almost yelped from the sudden inflow of light.

"What's going on?" I asked when he finally sat in the driver's seat beside me in the tinted black mustang.

"Again with the questions?" Dave countered but this time there was a teasing smile on his lips.

I tried to keep up with his mood swing. "Well, if you told me the first time then I wouldn't asked."

"You're on fucking probation."

_Probation? What?_

"They don't trust you're whole 'didn't hear anything' act so they're making me fucking babysit you to make sure you don't say anything to the cops."

He pulled out of where he was parked and I fumbled to grasp a hold of what the hell was going on.

"Cops? What? I swear I didn't see or hear anything!"

"Then why were you running when I found you?"

" _Attacked_ me, not found me."

He chuckled as he turned right on some kind of dirt road.

"You're pretty confident for a girl that just got kidnapped and held hostage."

Something in his tone made me want to tease.

"Could you say that one more time? Not sure if my recorder got that."

Instead of the same throaty laugh that had greeted my previous words, I got a deathly glare.

"That's not fucking funny, don't bitch like that."

I rolled my eyes, attempting to turn away from him when his own hand, grabbed a hold of my chin. Successfully forcing me to look at him.

"Don't fucking roll your eyes at me. I just fucking said don't be a bitch."

His brown eyes were burning with anger, I glanced to see to see that his other hand was clutching the steering wheel to the point where his knuckles were white with tension.

He let go without a reply. I still turned to the window.

"I'm going to be with you for the next week-"

"What?"

Was he serious? Is this even fucking legal? I was one hundred percent sure that this wasn't and I was also sure that even if he could my RA or Bri wouldn't exactly allow that.

"I'm at a dorm, you can't do that."

"You're RA's a friend of mine. I'll let him know." The way he said "friend" made it sound more menacing that reassuring.

"What about my roommate?"

Dave shrugged, the hand that had gripped my chin a moment earlier now digging through his pocket for a lighter to light the cigarette that was clasped between his lips.

"Tell her I'm your boyfriend or something."

 _Boyfriend?_ Bri had known me since I was ten years old and since then I hadn't ever had a boyfriend or expressed any interest in one. If I showed up suddenly with a boyfriend, especially one that looked like straight out of an Abercrombie ad, not only would she never leave my side until she heard every detail but she'd also be suspicious, especially if I'd disappeared for the whole night without a text or a call.

The thought of a text message made me suddenly realize that I didn't have my phone - or any of my belongings for that matter.

"Where's my stuff?"

Dave pointed with the hand that was holding the cigarette, the smoke filled my nose and I immediately coughed.

"In the glove compartment." He explained.

I waved my hand in front of my face in efforts to disperse the smell before reaching for where he'd pointed.

My phone had about thirty new messages and twenty missed calls.

Most were from Bri and Sam but some were from my parents asking about how I was doing and whether or not I was still coming for Thanksgiving dinner the following weekend.

I messaged Sam and Bri immediately.

"What are you messaging?"

I didn't look up from my phone and when I didn't reply right away, Dave pulled to the side of the road and snatched the device from my fingers.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed, reaching after my phone.

He held it as far away as he could with one hand and held me away with the other. The cigarette had been disposed of.

"Bri, sorry I didn't message back or call, phone died but-"

"I'm not saying anything!" I defended.

"Let me message you for her-"

I was lunging towards him again. Being on fucking probation was one thing, being controlled to the point where I couldn't even text a friend with my own fingers was another.

The battle for my iPhone was a short lived one. He was ten times stronger than I was and even though, I should have had an advantage, since my knee was in the perfect position to deliver a good hit to the groins, I somehow ended up pinned down on the driver's seat with my hands over my head and my legs held down by his body.

"Don't fight me." He growled.

I couldn't find it in me to respond. This close to him and I could smell his cologne and feel his breath. It smelt of cigarettes and mint - an odd combination but enough to make me wonder what it tasted like. This close to him and I couldn't help but let my gaze lower to his lips, which was extreme given the fact that he'd knocked me out with a chloroform a couple of hours ago.

Dave noticed my shift in attention and that same arrogant smirk from before took over his lips.

"You going to kiss me now, Lyla?"

If her name hadn't slipped through those full-of-himself lips then maybe my heartbeat would have soared and maybes my cheeks would have turned pink but hearing him call me by name, made my blood turn to ice.

How did he know my name?

 _Actually_ , how did he even know which RA I was talking about when he said he was friendly with them?

"Get off." I said, slipping my hands from his grip and pushing at his shoulders.

I was back on my seat in under ten seconds. I was asking him just exactly how he knew my name in under five.

"How do you know my name? How did you know which RA I was talking about?"

Dave turned back onto the road.

He glanced at me once before replying, "if I told you I would have to kill you."

Although his words were accompanied by a raise of a bold brow and the subtle hint of a teasing smile, the last few hours and the night before - which I couldn't believe I had forgotten whilst being pinned under him - proved that he was quite capable of following through with his light threat.

I turned back to the window.

How the hell did I manage to get myself into this one? And how the hell do I get out of it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to tell me what you thought! And I'm sorry for the site update, swear the next one will be up in 1 or 2 days, thank you for reading!


	4. Three

_Dear diary,_

_I don't think the phrase "my life changed in one night" covers what happened to me. Long story short? I got kidnapped. Literally. And not the kid-friendly kidnapping you see done in the movies, I mean, knocked out by a cloth of chloroform and waking up in what seemed like a dungeon kind of kidnapping. It feels weird to even write down and wrong too since now I have an around-the-clock guard disguised as a boyfriend to make sure I don't say anything. Wait. Back to the adult-napping. So after spending, I gathered this only after I got back to the dorm, an entire six hours passed out in some kind of basement, I got yanked out of there by Dave. And no he didn't yank me out of there in the superhero, knight in shining armor kind of way. He yanked me out in the I'm-taking-you-to-meet-my-boss-don't-make-a-sound kind of way. I guess this could have turned out worse. But every time that thought crosses my mind, I wonder who sits around post-napping and thinks to themselves that they could have ended up worse._

_He's here by the way. He's sitting at the foot of my bed and I'm almost tempted to kick him over so he falls off but I'm sure there's some kind of "security" backlash to that so I'm just going to sit here and write about it._

_If I'm being honest though, I would definitely give that boy a 10/10 and would believe it if someone told me he was some kind of model. I also would 100% believe it if someone told me he was bipolar. The entire car ride was filled with mood swings - I either got a growl or a throaty chuckle._

I closed my journal as soon as I heard the rustling of keys on the other side. It was Bri.

"Shoot."

"Is that your roommate?" Dave asked, sounding very bored and very not worried that my friend wouldn't believe his "new boyfriend" act.

I on the other hand, jumped off my lofted twin sized bed and onto the floor so I could greet her properly.

I'd showered and changed into a band T shirt and some shorts so I could get rid of the smell of not only that weird basement but if Dave's cigarettes.

The door opened and Bri, with a pile of textbooks walked in.

"Bri!" I exclaimed.

The textbooks fell to the floor. Along with Bri's mouth.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, LYLA?" She exclaimed, stepping over the books and pulling me into a hug.

"I was so fucking worried that you'd gotten kidnapped or something! Or that you got drugged and-what if someone had taken you-Sam and I were going to call the police-"

Her eyes went to the foot that was dangling over my bed, then upwards to the face that the foot belonged to.

"Who are you?"

Dave gave her a smirk.

"He's this guy that I'm seeing."

"I think 'boyfriend' is the word you're looking, babe."

Bri's, hazel eyes widened and then I was being dragged out of the room - for the millionth time in the last twenty four hours, might I add.

Once in the hallway and out of Dave's earshot, she smacked my arm.

"Ow!" I exclaimed.

"What the hell? You have a _boyfriend_?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I-uh-met him at the party-"

"So you were with him this _entire_ time?"

Her hands made wide gestures as she emphasized the word "entire".

Another shrug by me. I hadn't exactly planned this as thorough as I should have.

"Yeah, he's really nice-"

"He looks like one of those guys from the movies! The ones you're not supposed to fuck with!"

I knew exactly what she meant. And I completely agreed with her. But I couldn't tell her that.

"I like him."

"Your entire life and you've never had a boyfriend and you choose a guy that looks like he rides motorcycles and deals drugs for a living?"

"I can hear you guys you know?" Dave said, stepping out from the room as well.

Bri's eyes went between him and me and she rolled them and walked back inside. I followed, part of my me going back to that in the moment in the car when I had given Dave the same gesture and he'd grabbed my chin for it.

"Bri, don't be mad with me."

"I'm not."

She was.

Bri kneeled down to gather the textbooks and I used the opportunity to turn to Dave.

"Can you give us a second alone?" I whispered.

His brows furrowed. "No."

"Or can you pretend to?" I tried.

He glanced back at Bri who was furiously stacking her books back into one pile and sighed with annoyance.

"One minute." He mouthed.

"Bri, look, I know you're mad that you spent this entire time worrying only to find me with some guy but he's not that bad-"

I hoped he wasn't. He couldn't be too bad if he was going to give me and my friend some pretend privacy and I didn't really get the serial killer vibe from him.

"And my phone died so I couldn't message or call anyone and we just spent sometime talking that's all."

She finally turned to me. A minute ago her hazel eyes had been dark with anger but now they were light and big with worry.

"Are you sure that's what happened?"

I could feel my heartbeat quickening.

"Yes. Why?"

I'd never lied to Bri before.

"Boys and you? You just were never into dating-"

"I had to start some time right?" I tried to joke.

She held my gaze for a moment. Her eyes searching mine for any indication that I was lying or something was off. I did my best to keep a smile on my lips and did my best of the best to not guiltily spurt out all of the actual things that had happened to me.

"Fine." She finally breathed just when I was really beginning to question my acting skills.

"If he hurts you, I'm going to shred him."

Relieved that she had believed me and also because she was no longer upset, I pulled her into a hug.

"You ladies all made up?"

Dave's voice interrupted us and we both turned our heads back to the door, he was leaning against the door frame. A little cliche if you ask me with his torn black jeans and his leather jacket. It looked a shot out of some bad film from the 90's. Only if he looked as bad as the type of shot.

"Bri? Right?"

My friend nodded as he stepped into the room.

"Nice to meet you." His brown eyes flickered to me.

"Stay the night with me?"

I didn't know who looked more surprised. Me or Bri.

"Um-"

"Um?" Although his tone came out playful, I knew what the underlying message was. There was no "um"s allowed.

"Sure."

Bri's head snapped to me, her wide eyes taken back by my answer. Inwardly, I was too. Ten hours ago I was just a girl with no dating history or any kind of real experience with a guy and now here I was, agreeing to stay the night with my first "boyfriend" that I'd know for less than a day.

I kept my eyes on Dave's. "I'll just pack a bag."

Despite Bri giving me a million different type of looks in the span of the five minutes that it had taken for me to gather my stuff, I was back in Dave's mustang. Sitting in the passenger seat while I tried to keep my mind from reeling. _What was I doing? Why was I agreeing to go to his? Was I going to end up in the cold basement? Was that his idea of a sleepover?_

"You're unusually quiet." He was smoking again.

"Could we open the windows?"

"Why?"

I hesitated before answering. "I don't like the smell."

"Of my cigarette?"

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road ahead of us. We were still driving in the city so that must be a good sign.

He opened my window all the way and I tried my very best to keep quite since the previous ride ended up in him getting all worked up by the amount of questions I had. It didn't take me very long to grow impatient and before I knew it my big mouth was opening and a question rolling off my tongue.

"Where are we going?"

There was a small chuckle and I turned to him, surprised that I'd earned something else than a growl.

"Didn't I say you were coming over?" Dave asked.

The hand that held the cigarette between two fingers lifted towards his mouth. I watched as his lips wrapped around the end, jaws flexing as he inhaled.

"Where's your...?" I trailed off.

I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight of that. The sight of him parting his lips as he exhaled, the cloud of smoke caressing his upper lip and suddenly something that smelt absolutely terrible a second before looked so damn sexy now.

"In Brooklyn." He answered, looking over at me. His lips immediately curled upwards in an arrogant smirk when he caught me staring.

I felt the blood rush up to my face and turned back to the window in efforts to spare my pride. If there was any left, he'd practically caught me drooling.

"Oh."

"I didn't think the two of us could fit on that dorm bed and Bianca was being annoying with all the fucking questions."

He made a left turn on a street with red brick apartments. Even though Dave had called Brianna Bianca, the only thing that managed to stick from his sentence was the fact that he'd sad "the two of us". My eyes were back on him.

"You were going to _sleep_ with me?"

The words were out of my mouth before I could even think of how they would sound out loud but by the time I'd realized what I'd asked, he was already laughing, the cigarette discarded carelessly out of the window as he parked the black car.

"Don't flatter yourself, _babe_."

"I didn't mean-it didn't come out right-I wasn't trying to-"

If I could have smacked myself without seeming like a total nut job I would have but the only thing I could do when I was nervous and anxious was stutter. And this boy made me a lot more nervous than I'd like to admit. Maybe it was the fact that he'd kidnapped me or maybe it was the fact he looked like he could model and that he'd called me "babe" again - though the second time was more of a mocking than the first.

"Come on, get out the car." He snapped, ignoring my frantic word vomit and switching the engine off.

Dave stepped out first, his phone pressed against his ear and another cigarette fitted between his lips.

I sat in the car a second longer. Not long enough for him to get all worked up and yell but long enough for me to take a much needed long breath - or at least attempt to.

_Get it together._

Once I'd stepped out of the car and walked around to where he stood, Dave took my duffel bag from me. I held my breath when his cigarette hand came close.

"Are you fucking kidding, Jake? I'm busy." Dave said into the phone as he locked the car.

"Boss told me to watch the girl so I'm watching the-" he started towards the red brick apartments. They looked a bit like townhouses. Less than three stories tall and with a single door for each section.

"Fuck you." Dave growled before I could investigate the apartments further. My attention, once again, returning to him.

"She's not my type-you saw her-" He said this in a low voice, perhaps so I wouldn't hear but I'd been listening to the words close enough so it was easy to pick up.

_"She's not my type"_

I didn't know why that upset me. It wasn't like I had expected him to like me - he was just doing his job! But hearing him say it so blatantly made me want to kick myself for even holding out the tiniest bit of hope. And it wasn't like he'd given me any kind of sign that he _did_ like me, he was a complete douche when we were alone - he'd either yell or give me a grunt for laughter . That brief second of charm that I'd witnessed when we were with Bri was not real - I'd have to remind myself of that.

"Lyla?"

Startled by his voice and by the fact that I'd actually walked right past the door he'd been holding, I jumped.

Dave was no longer on the phone, he was staring at me with impatient brown eyes.

I huffed in annoyance. If my nosy ass hadn't eavesdropped on that conversation in the woods, I could have been free of Dave and free of whatever I was feeling.

I wanted to kick myself. _You're not feeling anything, Ly!_

"You going to stand around all day or...?"

I rolled my eyes and walked, purposely, towards him, past him and up the stairs.

"Do you even know where you're going?" He asked behind me.

My emotions had done a full 180. A minute ago I had been tip toeing around _his_ feelings, careful not spark his anger but now all I felt was anger and I didn't give one flying fuck if he got offended or not.

"Well you're following so I'm guessing this is the right way."

"It's this one." He said, stopping by the red door at the foot of the second flight of stairs.

I stopped my ascend to the third floor and stomped my way back down half of the stairs. He'd unlocked the door and I didn't wait to push past him and inside, giving him a good eye roll just because I wanted him to know I was annoyed.

"Are you kidding?" Dave huffed, following me inside his own apartment.

I took off my shoes and went straight to the couch, it was a cliche black and leather bachelor couch. The thought of him hooking up with other girls made me more annoyed. _Why did I have to be his fake girlfriend? Why couldn't he just suck it up and stay at the dorm?_

"What's wrong with you?" Dave asked, plopping himself on the arm chair beside me.

I crossed my arms and kept my gaze fixed on the corner of the coffee table.

"Lyla, I'm talking to you." There was a warning of a growl in his voice but I didn't care for it anymore. What was the most that could happen? He could yell? He wasn't anybody to me. And I sure wasn't anybody to him.

_"She's not my type"_

His words echoed in my ears and I grew more annoyed. More at myself for caring but I directed the anger towards him anyways.

"I need a drink."

I'd barely heard him. I was too busy thinking about how exactly I was going to do this. He'd said that I was stuck with him for a week. So I'd have to lie to Bri and Sam about him for a week - no, I was supposed to be home this weekend for Thanksgiving. Fuck.

"Okay what the fuck is wrong? You're always talking."

Dave was across from me again and this time he had a bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand and a glass filled halfway in the other.

I rolled my eyes. Of course he'd be the type to drink before five.

"Again with the eye rolling."

My eyes went back to the floor.

I saw him downing the glass before standing up. I was certain that he was just about to leave me to myself but then he walked around the glass coffee table and plopped himself beside me. He smelt of whiskey and cigarettes and cologne and if it had been anyone but him I would have gagged at that but it was him and despite him saying I wasn't his type, he was, unfortunately, mine.

"What's wrong doll face?"

"Nothing." I lied.

Another mood swing. I'd gone from angry to mute and he'd gone from annoyed to charming.

"Are you sad because you're stuck in here for the next week?"

"What about my classes?"

"I'll drive you."

"I have a class at eight forty in the morning on Mondays."

Something told me he wasn't exactly a morning person.

Dave shrugged.

"Now if that's all figured out-" he smacked my knee before getting up.

"I'm going to a party tonight and you're coming with."

"Party? I have homework! Tomorrow's Thursday!" I got to my feet so I was level with him.

"We won't stay long I have to be there."

"But-"

Maybe it was the whiskey that was taking off his edge or maybe this was just the way he was - cold one second and suddenly so charming the next.

"Sh." He said to me, cutting me off by placing a figure to my lips.

I held my breath.

"Get dressed, we're leaving in five."

***

  
Sorry for the long wait! I swear things will start to pick up after this chapter, this was just sort of a filler. Hope you enjoyed!

Xo,  
S

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I swear things will start to pick up after this chapter, this was just sort of a filler. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Xo,  
> S


	5. Four

Twenty minutes later, I was dressed in Bri's slip on nude silk dress and heels that I really hated but wore because I wanted to look good. I'd grabbed these just in case something like this happened and for once I was grateful for my overthinking. I also told myself I wanted look good for myself but I knew it was for Dave.

And when I'd stepped outside, where he was waiting by his car, I'd gotten the exact wide-eyed-open-mouth look I was going for. Though he recovered a bit too quickly for me to say anything, I'd caught him staring and that made me smile.

"Who is going to be at this party?" I asked when we'd parked somewhere in lower Manhattan.

"My friends." Dave answered.

He waited a brief moment for me to step outside the car and when I did proceeded to walk away.

I stumbled in Bri's heels - cursing myself for even thinking that I could walk in them - but followed quickly.

His party with friends was inside a nightclub. It wasn't a fancy club like most in Manhattan but something told me it was a lot better than anything in Brooklyn. He'd led me to a big nosy table before leaving me after saying something about drinks.

It had been fifteen minutes and I was still at the table, no Dave, no drinks.

"Hey."

Startled, I jumped. When I turned to face the speaker, I felt the cushions of the booth dip under his weight.

Golden brown hair, blue eyed and tan in that surfer way. He was a drop-dead gorgeous as Dave.

"Hi." I said quietly, a smile playing on my lips.

"I've never seen you before, what's your name?"

"Lyla."

He passed me one of the drinks he was holding. A mojito by the looks of it.

"Oh no thank you, Dave said he was bringing me-"

"Dave? Dave Franco?"

Dave hadn't told me his last name but I reckoned we were speaking of the same Dave so I nodded.

"He's not coming back for a while-"

"What do you mean?"

The beautiful stranger pointed in the direction of the dance floor and I turned, my eyes searching.

It didn't take me long to find him. He was in the middle of the dance floor, a half naked blonde glued to his hips and his lips glued to her neck.

Disappointment washed over me.

I was more disappointed in myself than I was with him. Of course he wasn't taking me to this party because he wanted to. Of course it didn't matter to him how I looked or what high heels I wore, I wasn't his type. Plain and simple. I was an idiot for thinking otherwise.

"Oh." I said quietly.

"You want a drink or not?"  The stranger asked again.

My gut told me it wasn't safe to accept drinks from a guy that I've never met or anyone at all at this club but I also wanted to forget what I'd just seen going down on the dance floor so I nodded.

"Better not drug me." I growled, glancing up at his blue eyes before I took a sip.

"I'm not that kind of guy."

The drink was sweet, in a weird kind of way. I had never been a fan of drinking but then again, all that's offered at college parties is jungle juice or cheap beer. This drink tasted just like juice, maybe a little tangy from the alcohol but it was good enough for me to keep sipping.

"I'm Zac by the way. I'm a friend of Dave's."

I smiled but kept sipping.

"You're not from here right? I would have introduced myself sooner if you had been."

"No. I got to school at NYU."

"What? You're a student?"

He made a grab for my drink but I stopped him, wrapping my hand around his wrist. There was no way in hell I was about to let him take this away from me. It made me forget Dave and his annoying mood swings and that's all I wanted.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Are you sure?"

I had lied of course. Truth was, I had an incredibly low tolerance with my lack of party experience and this room was already spinning but I loved the feeling of it. I liked that I couldn't exactly form a coherent and complex thought and I loved that Dave was no longer on my mind.

Zac held my gaze, flashes of light were crossing his face, his blue eyes looked darker but it was still blue and they looked mesmerizing. Or at least to my drunk eyes they did.

"You have pretty eyes." I blurted. Giggling when I realized I had said that out loud.

Zac laughed and didn't argue when I reached for his drink. I had to have more. No wonder Bri and Sam loved to go out so much. If alcohol tasted this good and was strong enough to make you feel nothing then I would want to go out every chance I got as well.

"Well you're not so bad yourself, beautiful."

Sweet talking usually made my inside churn in a not so good way but the mojitos in me definitely seemed to like it. I leaned closer into Zac, pressing my forehead against the side of his neck. He didn't smell like cigarettes and cologne but I didn't mind.

I could feel his hands coming around me, his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer to him and I didn't protest. I didn't want to protest.

"Are you kidding me?"

I snuggled deeper into Zac's neck but his grip had loosened.

"Get off of her!"

I raised my head to see a very red Dave stomping towards me and Zac.

"What do you mean? I'm not doing anything!" Zac defended but his hands had already left my hip and I was no longer snuggled into him.

"She's here with me you dick, don't touch her!"

_How dare he? How dare he talk to Zac as if he'd spent anytime with me when he'd left me all alone in a club to dry hump some random girl?_

"Stop it!" I yelled back.

I'd somehow gotten used to the initial fuzziness of the mojito and my eyes were able to focus a lot better on Dave's angry face.

"You left me alone! Don't say shit!"

His eyes widened when I yelled. There was a part of me that was surprised too. I'd never spoken to him like this. I'd never spoken to anyone like this.

"Are you _drunk_?"

Dave's eyes went from mine, to the empty tall glasses with mint leaves and ice cubes and then to Zac's.

"Did you fucking buy her a drink?!" His fists were by his side and he was already charging forward.

I knew what was coming. I'd never seen him fight but I knew that whatever group I had been caught by and for whomever he worked for, that was exactly what he did and I also knew that Zac wasn't going to be able to retaliate.

Before he could reach Zac and I, I stood up from the booth I'd been in. My legs immediately failed the second I'd moved towards him.

"Lyla!" Dave exclaimed, reaching for me as I stumbled.

Strong hands caught me by my arms. The room was spinning again and I'd forgotten why I'd gotten up in the first place.

"Take me back." I said quietly, trying to lean against him while he held me firmly at arm's length. A small part of me, hated that he wouldn't let me as close as Zac had.

"I'll deal with you later." He growled and it took me a moment before I realized he was talking to Zac and not me. I was relieved for the most part, one because he hadn't threatened me and two because it meant he wasn't about to start a fight.

I could sense that he was hesitant to let me lean on him but when my legs would do very little to help myself move in the direction he wanted, his arms wrapped around my waist and I clung onto him. My body wrapped around his almost too perfectly and that's all I could think about. The feeling of our bodies pressed together, it was like that moment in the basement when he'd pinned me against the wall and all I could do was be breathless by just the sensation of our bodies together.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust but once we'd made it out of the dark club I could see clearly now. I could see the set of his jaw, probably tense from wanting to cuss me out for being so annoying and getting in his way.

"You're mad." I meant to ask it but it came out more of a statement. It was cold, New York City was taking on fall and I had nothing on but a slip dress. I wanted to ask him for his leather jacket but I doubted he would oblige.

"I'm furious." He grunted.

I sighed sadly into his ear and he only tensed more.

"I'm sorry I annoy you so much." I said, this time closing my eyes so I didn't have to see his jaws flex over and over again while he, probably, yelled at me inside his head.

Dave stayed silent and I didn't focus on anything but moving my feet properly until I heard the sound of his doors unlocking.

"Come on." He urged, leaning the both of us towards the ground so it would be easier for me to get inside his car. Surprisingly, without much help from Dave, I was in the passenger seat and buckled in.

The ride there was a silent one and there was so much that I wanted to say or ask or explain but I couldn't bring myself to. All I could think about was the feeling of his skin against mine moments before. The way it had burned in all the places his fingers had grazed. I hated that he'd touched some other girl, hated that he'd come to take me away from Zac, hated that he told me he was mad when there really was nothing wrong.

By the time he'd unlocked the door to his apartment, my emotions had done a full 360. _Who was he to get mad at me? Who was he to dictate whether or not I could be with Zac?_ I was furious that I'd let him treat me like that. Like some kind of doll that he could throw around whichever way he pleased.

"Do you want some water?" Dave asked, turning on the lights.

I rolled my eyes, something I knew pissed him off. "So now you care about what I want?"

"You're drunk but if you're going to say something like that then just don't say anything." He replied, smoothly and without any kind of emotion as he walked over to the kitchen, a glass in hand.

I followed, my heels were off and I found that it was a lot easier to walk without them. I didn't quite understand why I hadn't thought of taking it off before.

"Why? Am I being annoying? A _nuisance_?"

The venom in my voice surprised even me.

I could tell I was pressing his buttons but he kept his mouth shut and poured water into the empty glass, gaze fixated on anything but me.

"You don't know Zac, I don't want you to get hurt." He explained, his voice sounded tighter than before.

"When did _you_ care?" I was only adding fuel to the flames but I so badly wanted him to snap. I wanted him to feel something for me. Wanted him to feel something _because_ of me.

I wasn't quite sure if that made sense but it made enough sense to a drunken me so that's what I went with.

"I don't." He growled, sliding the glass across the kitchen counter and towards me.

I ignored it entirely.

"Then take me back to him."

Dave eyes widened, caramel brown eyes finally looking into mine.

"Are you kidding me?" He asked. Although he hadn't raised his voice, it was chipped and tight and I knew that I was close to making him even madder than he had been in that basement the first time.

"If you don't care-"

His hand came flying across the counter, knocking the glass off with so much force that it hit the opposite wall, the water flying out splashed the front of my dress and the sound of glass breaking filled my ears. I flinched, startled by his reaction and by the coldness of the water.

"Why do you have to be so _fucking_ difficult, Lyla?!"

He stepped around the counter, ignoring the mess he'd just created and towards me.

"All you had to do was sit there and wait for me to come back!"

I took a bold step towards him.

"Why!?" I yelled as loud as he had. After all, this is what I had wanted wasn't it? Him getting mad at yelling at me? Didn't this mean I was capable of making him feel _something_?

"I'm nothing to you, you make that clear enough, why does it matter if I'm flirting with Zac or not?!"

A part of me was sitting back and clapping at the way I was holding my ground. But that part of me was also very drunk for the first time ever and had no idea what yelling at Dave this way would do.

"He's just going to treat you like another one of his sluts, that's why!" He took a step closer and I could see his jaws clenching, could see his fists balling by his sides.

"Like you're any different?!"

One second I was standing in front of him, the next I was being pinned to the wall. I knew I should have screamed, kicked - _something_ \- but my heart was racing in that way it had done when he'd first pinned me in that basement and all I could do was breathe a little to quickly.

"Don't fucking talk to me like that again!" He bellowed, the caramel had taken a dark tint and I should have been shaking in fear of what he was capable of but for some reason, I was thinking of the way his lips were pulled into a fine line. The way he was looking at me with dark, heated eyes and I knew - in that second - I couldn't stop myself from what I was about to do next.

The tension, the both of us screaming at the top of our lungs, his body pinning me against this wall - _him_ \- it was too much.

I raised one hand up and around the base of his neck and pulled as hard as I could. I closed my eyes and met his lips in the middle.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, sorry for the wait, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Xo,  
> S


	6. Five

I don't realize what I'm doing. Not in this state. But the second his lips are touching mine, I gasp at the feeling. A rush of electricity rushes through my entire body. I can feel the buzz from the tips of my fingers to the curl in my toes.

I want to pull him closer but before I can Dave is pulling away. He still has me pinned against the wall but his hold his looser.

When he pulls away, his caramel eyes are no longer blazing with anger but they're confused and bewildered by what I'd just done.

I reached for him again. Not ready to give up. I wanted to feel it again. That feeling of absolute electricity, fire, burning me to my core.

His one hand lifts to capture my reaching one by the wrist.

Dave looks at our connected hands with utter shock and then I wonder if I'm the only one who'd felt whatever that was when I'd kissed him. Was it possible for only one person to feel all that spark?

He took a step back and I could feel my face growing hot. Reality came closing in. Of course he wouldn't kiss me back. Of course I didn't stand a chance. He was practically right off a page in a magazine and I was just, well, _me_.

"We can't." He said quietly, letting go of my hand.

I was looking anywhere but at him. I felt so stupid. He had said I wasn't his type, hadn't he? What did I think kissing him would do? He would suddenly like me?

I could feel his eyes still on me and if I stayed against this wall any longer, I would probably end up crying.

Of course the first guy I had any interest in would reject me.

"Lyla." He called when I pushed past him and towards the door. I didn't care if I was in a Brooklyn. I would hail a cab and go back to the dorm. I would not stay here, not when I was so clearly unwanted.

I could taste a metallic, almost penny-like flavor in my mouth and I knew either I was going to throw up because I just felt so stupid or I was going to cry. By the way the back of my eyes were pinching, I was certain I was going to cry.

"Lyla, where the hell are you going?" The anger in his voice was back again but this time it didn't intrigue me or make want to yell back. I just wanted to escape him and what I'd just done.

I grabbed my duffel bag and kept walking to the door, bending to grab my shoes once I'd reached it.

When I turned the knob and pulled the door just an inch, Dave's hand slammed it shut.

I turned to face him, ready to yell at him for being an annoying prick and for treating me like a prisoner but all I could do was gasp because when I turned, instead of angry, dark eyes, I was met with warm lips.

Before my mind could catch up with what was happening, my body reacted and the bag and shoes fell from my hands. Dave pinned me against the red, metal door, his body pressing against me as his hands pinned mine over my head.

The feeling was amazing. It felt like the wind had been knocked right out of me but instead of gasping for air, I was gasping for him. For Dave.

While one hand, kept mine securely over the top of my head, the other wrapped around my thigh and raised it so it was wrapped around his hips.

"We shouldn't." He said, pulling on my lower lip with just his teeth. I gasped in response.

All I could think was, "we should we should we should". I'd never experienced anything like this before. This kind of tension - this kind of kiss.

I wished I could wrap my arms around him, pull him closer to me but to my disappointment, my hands were firmly over the top of my head and too far to reach him.

His lips broke away from mine and for a second I wondered if he was pulling away again. I was happily surprised when he pressed them against my neck. My back arched off the door and I could feel my entire body tingling. Only for him. I'd never reacted like this to anybody else - not that there were so many.

"Dave-" my moan was cut off my the ring of his phone.

He pulled away from me immediately. Pulling the phone from his pocket and pressing it to his ear. I was breathless and my heart was beating out of control and the only indication that he was feeling anything was the slight rise and fall of his shoulders.

"What?" He snapped into the receiver, keeping his blazing caramel eyes on me. I fought the urge to touch his face. If he didn't want me touching it while kissing, something told me he wouldn't allow it now.

"I'll be right there."

What? Where will he be?

He locked his phone and put it back in his pocket. His eyes were back to their calm, cool selves while mine were wild. All I wanted was to feel that rush again. Did he not feel it too?

"I have to go-"

I frowned and then opened my mouth to ask a question. Was he just going to leave me here like this? Where was he going? 

"It's business." Dave answered for me. I fought the urge to smile at how he knew exactly what I was about to ask.

"It won't be long." There was a warning in his voice, one that I did not care for.

"What business?"

He grabbed the door knob behind me and I was forced to step away. He gave me somewhat of a smile - a smirk, really, before he slipped through the door and left me in his apartment. Alone.

***

As soon as he left the entire apartment felt too big. It was dark and I'd never really looked around. It was cold and my wet dress - thanks to Dave's temper and a glass full of water - wasn't really helping either. Sighing, I flipped on the switch for the what I presumed to be the light for living room and reached for my duffel bag.

Once I was dressed in a huge NYU sweatshirt that went past my thighs and long socks, I walked around the cold apartment. The main room was pretty simple enough.

Like in true bachelor fashion, the couch was a black leather and with no pillows for decor. The coffee table in front of it was made of all glass and metal, there were few newspaper rolls on the table but they were all untouched and I reckoned he just threw them on there whenever they came by mail.

I walked over to the entertainment center. There was a large flat screen tv in the middle of it all and the shelves were all stocked with video games. I could only recognize a few and they were only the generic ones like call of duty and grand theft auto. I let my fingers trail over all the cases of games, eyes searching for anything that would hint to me that Dave was not just a violent guy with a leather couch and an equally violent array of video games.

My gaze fell upon the record player at the end of the entertainment center. It wasn't one of those players you saw at Urban Outfitters. Not the cheap knock offs that tried, and failed might I add, to recreate the sound of the vintage record players. No, what Dave had was an authentic player from what looked like the 50's with a giant horn-like speaker. I wasn't well educated in that department to know what it was called but I knew enough to know that it was real and had probably cost thousands. Around the record player, the shelves were stocked with as many vinyls as there were video games.

I let my fingers play over the albums. Ever so often, pulling out one that catches my eye. So far, I had come across, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Jackson 5-I realized that one had been pulled halfway out. It was Andy Williams. I pulled out the vinyl of the smiling man and opened to see that there was no disc inside.

Frowning, I looked around the other shelves. Was it missing? When my eyes scanned over the shelf with the record player, I recognized the same label on the center of the vinyl that was on the track. I hesitantly pressed the biggest button on the side of the player.

"Don't break, don't break, don't break-"

My plea was cut off my the explosion of sound. For a second, I stared, dumbfounded by the slow, jazzy beat that was playing. The record player must have resumed from wherever it had been stopped which meant that - I flipped the vinyl case over to its back- Dave was listening to _this_?

 _"Moon river..."_ Andy Williams began to croon and I widened my eyes, recognizing the lyrics from Breakfast at Tiffany's. I looked around the apartment, just to be sure that i was still standing in Dave's apartment. I hadn't imagined him to listen to songs like this. Songs that were slow and gentle and sweet.

My lips pulled upwards in a small smile. I kind of liked this.

Liked that his music didn't reflect him at all. Or, what I thought he was like. I liked this side of him that listened to age old love songs.

I couldn't imagine it, him, standing or sitting in this dark apartment - _actually_ , the more I thought about it the more I could picture it. Dave sitting on his leather couch, cigarette in one hand and probably some strong liquor in the other. I didn't know why but the thought of that made my entire body feel warm.

Leaving the record on and the empty case beside it, I walked around the rest of the apartment.

There was a mini bar on one end of the wall which led to the small kitchen.

Just across from the kitchen was the hallway to which I assumed were the bedrooms.

With curiosity of Dave and the need to find out more about him, I pushed open the first closed door in the hallway.

A simple bathroom greeted me.

The door beside that led to a bedroom. His bedroom.

It was as dark as the living room. With a dark wooden queen sized bed dominating most of the area and even darker sheets and pillows. The area around it was surrounded by books and more records and there were a few guitars by the wall nearest to the door.

I didn't stay to inspect any further.

Something about the third door that I'd glimpsed while opening the second was different than the other two and for some reason I had a feeling it wasn't just an ordinary room.

Leaving his bedroom door open, I stepped back into the hallway and walked to the end.

While the other two doors had been made of a white wood, this one was the same red metal of the apartments entrance.

And while the other doors had knobs this, red one, had a handle with a key in its keyhole.

I twisted the key to the right and pulled the handle down.

The door was heavy. It took both hands and five hard nudges to finally get it open just enough for me to fit through the space.

I didn't know what I had expected. Maybe I had been expecting some kind of red room like the Christian Grey had in the book. Maybe I was expecting a room with important documents. But never had the idea occurred to me that this room would be decorated in every weapon imaginable.

Once inside, I could barely hear the record I had left on. It was colder than the rest of the apartment and I hugged my body a little tighter.

All three walls were covered by rows and rows of guns. Tables lined up just below them with bullets, knives, grenades-my eyes came to a halt on the table in the middle of the room.

There was a naked bulb hanging right above it. With one glance back at the metal, I stepped forward.

It was difficult to understand what they were at first. It just looked like a whole bunch of boxes and little letters with unreadable writing all over it but the more I focused on the individual shapes the more I could make out what I was looking at.

_A blueprint._

At the top of the map, the words, "empire state building" were printed.

_What the fuck? Why did he have this?_

The metal door made a groaning sound and the voice of Andy Williams flooded the unusual room.

I didn't have to turn around to know who it was but I did anyway.

Dave. Dave with wild eyes and an empty vinyl case in one hand, the same one that is left beside his record player.

"Get. The. Fuck. Out."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait, thank you for reading and please tell me what you thought so I can post the next part!


	7. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorrry for the super late update, I've been so busy but here's a super long chapter to make up for it and I swear the next one will be up shortly!

I didn't know what to do. 

I stared at him, mouth hung agape. 

His hands were fisted by his side and it didn't take much to understand the fire in his eyes. 

I wasn't supposed to be in here. I wasn't supposed to know. 

"Get out." He said, louder this time. His voice tight. 

I cast one last glance at the blueprint and then made my way towards the door behind him. _What was this room? Why did he have this room?_

I held my breath as I passed, our shoulders brushing lightly as I moved towards the exit. 

Dave followed me out. 

The keys to what I presumed to be for this room, jingling a little too loudly in his hands as I stepped back into the hallway. 

"You weren't supposed to go in there." His voice was still coming out strained. 

"I didn't know." I said quietly. 

It was a heavy, metal door that looked like it could be bolted when needed to be. I definitely didn't need a sign to know that I wasn't allowed in there but that was the only excuse I had. 

"I told you I would be back-" 

When he pulled on the heavy door, a soft gasp escaped his lips. Followed by a wince. It was only then when I noticed the dark liquid covering the side of his shirt. _He was bleeding!_

"You're hurt!" I exclaimed. I moved closer to see the wound but he stopped me with his icy stare. 

"I'm fine." 

Another painful wince as he tried to pull on the metal door again. 

A grunt fell from his mouth when the door didn't budge. 

"Let me help you, I'm learning about this stuff, you can't bleed out-" 

" _Lyla_." He warned, making a move to push away the hands that were reaching towards him. 

"Dave, if you continue to bleed, you _will_  be an in even worse situation. Just let me look at it. If it gets infected than you really won't be able to do anything." 

I could see him thinking it through. I could see it in the way his jaws unlocked and locked, the way his eyes burned through mine. Brown through blue. 

Finally, after what felt like five minutes when it really was five seconds, Dave's fisted hands loosened and he nodded. 

"Fine." 

I wanted to roll my eyes at him. He made it sound like it was _him_ who was doing the favor, when in fact, it was me who was trying to take care of him. 

I led the way into the kitchen and grabbed the towel that was on the counter. 

It was only my freshmen year but I had done enough as an intern at a nearby hospital during the summer to know how to clean a flesh wound. Wet, warm towel and then alcohol to disinfect. 

A first aid kit was sitting by the sink and I grabbed it after wetting the towel. Just how often did he get these kinds of wounds? If he had a first aid kit handy on out in the open, I guessed that the incidences were often enough. 

I wonder, what had happened? He'd gotten a call and then he'd left and then he'd come back with a wound that looked like a deep cut. 

"I suppose you're not going to tell me how you got this wound?" 

Dave shrugged carelessly. "I got stabbed." 

My hands, froze as I turned to face him, wide eyed. "Stabbed?" 

  
"It's not a big deal." He grunted, pain making his face twist as he lifted himself onto the counter. The muscles in his arms looked too good to be true and I forced myself to only spare them a second long look.  

Of course. _What did you think he did Lyla?_ The voice in my head snapped. 

It wasn't like he sold ice cream to kids for a living. I knew that he did something bad. After all, the first time I'd seen him was in the middle of the woods talking about some game. 

 _The game_. Could this wound be from that game? 

"You want me to take this off?" He asked, gesturing to his shirt and jolting me out of my thoughts. 

It was a simple and innocent question but coming from his lips, coming from Dave, my damn heart nearly skipped a beat. 

_Yes. Yes. Yes._

"Sure." I managed. 

With his wounded side, he moved extra slowly. As his arms pulled over the dark grey top and his head disappeared behind the fabric, I watched. I watched his muscle ripple underneath the skin as he twisted to remove the piece of clothing. 

_Ugh. He was definitely a model. Model by day and gangster by night._

If it didn't sound so damn cliche I would have probably called that hot too. 

"You're staring." He said, making my eyes snap towards his. 

I didn't realize but my mouth had been hung open again and Dave was sitting there, with the anger from earlier wiped clean from his face and replaced by a smug smile. 

"You're flexing." I retorted, shaking myself. 

He really wasn't but it made me feel better saying that he was. 

I took in a deep breath and stepped closer to him, the cloth in hand and going towards the bleeding wound. 

It was deep and if it was anyone else, I'm sure they would have been curled on the ground and dying but Dave was sitting upright and with calm clear eyes. 

I dabbed around the wound.

"So why did you kiss me?" 

The question was light with a teasing tone but it had surprised me and I completely forgot what I was doing and pressed against the wound, eyes widening as I looked up at him. 

" _Fuck_ , Lyla!" He growled, pulling away from me. 

"Oh!" I exclaimed, breathless. 

_Did he really ask why I kissed him?_

He leaned back into my hands and I continued to clean the wound. 

"So?" Dave pressed. 

I looked at him for a second, eyes going back to his wounds the moment I realized his brown eyes were watching my face. 

"Why did you kiss _me_?" I countered. 

_Good on, Ly._

"Because you were about to leave when I rejected you." 

 _Ouch_. 

I opened the first aid kit and grabbed the disinfecting spray. 

"Well you wouldn't shut up." I retorted. 

As usual, his temper flared at my tone. "Watch your tone." 

I didn't care. "And you watch yours. I'm cleaning up _your_ wound so you don't get an infection." 

"I didn't ask you to do anything!" He snapped, jumping off the counter. His body rammed into mine, making me step backwards.  

I rolled my eyes as I regained my balance. 

"Okay fine! Be an asshole and be prideful and go and get that wound infected! See if I care!" 

He was unbelievable! Teasing one second and then angry the next. Was he bipolar? Did he suffer from split personalities? 

I threw the bloodied towel on to the counter behind him and thrust the disinfecting spray into his bare chest. His hand snatched it from mine. Pushing past him and out of the kitchen, I made my second attempt to leave the apartment. 

"There you go again, running off, you do know you can't _actually_ leave right?" He growled, tossing the spray onto the counter with the rest of the medical supplies. 

"Watch me." I growled back. 

If he thought I was just going to stand around and let him treat me like dirt, he had another thing coming. I didn't care if he had a room full of weapons that looked like they belonged to some SWAT team. I didn't care if he probably was dangerous enough to stab and get stabbed, I was not going to stand by and let him walk all over me when I was just trying to help-

"Lyla." 

 "Wait." He said softly.

If it wasn't for the complete change in tone I would have probably did what I should have done before he'd chased me down to his door and kissed me. I would have left. 

But the softness in his voice made me turn on my heels. 

He was leaning on the counter for support. His wound had reopened when he'd jumped off the countertop and it was bleeding again. The blood once again covered his side and the top of his black jeans. 

It took me everything in me not to rush over and help. And I would have questioned _why_  I cared so much about his wellbeing if it wasn't for that distracting exasperated and helpless look on his perfect face. 

"Look, I've never had to have someone look after me before." 

"I don't like it." 

"I'm _just_ trying to help." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. 

"I know." 

"Please." He pleaded, brown eyes big. 

I don't know why I waited as long as I did. We both knew I wasn't going anywhere. He was hurt and I was too caught in his spell to do anything but help him. Well, maybe _he_ didn't know that but I did. 

I sighed. "Only if you stop being an ass." 

His smirk once again reappeared. "No promises but I'll try." 

I rolled my eyes and he responded with the same exasperated eye roll. 

I couldn't help but laugh at that. He looked ridiculous rolling his eyes.

"So how did you get stabbed?" I asked, grabbing the tossed cloth and returning to his wound. Instead of pulling himself onto the counter like earlier, he leaned on the refrigerator. I could feel his stare on me so I just kept my eyes on what I was doing. 

"I got into a fight." 

I opened my mouth to ask what kind of fight but before I could, he stopped me. 

"That's all I can say. You've already seen the room, if you're trying to get yourself killed, then I'll tell you more but..." 

I grabbed the disinfectant and sprayed it across the injury. He flinched as it made contact with his fresh injury. 

I couldn't help but think, _good_. His tone had went from teasing to bossy and I did _not_ appreciate it at all. 

"A bandage and then you're all done."  

"You're quite a doctor, maybe I should keep you around." 

And so it was back to the teasing. 

"Maybe you should tell me what you do so I don't get caught off guard by a bullet wound or something." I added the last part as a sort of joke but he just shrugged and didn't seem to catch on which made me realize a bullet wound was definitely normal. As normal as getting stabbed. 

I couldn't help but think, was this all related to the game from earlier? Was that what he was talking about when he said that they couldn't leave? Were they hurt if they tried to? 

"Stop thinking so hard about stuff like that. I can literally see you the wheels in your brain turning, trying to figure it out- _don't_." 

I pressed the bandage onto his wound carefully and his jaws clenched under the pressure. 

"Sorry." 

He shook his head. 

"The less you know about this stuff, the better and safer you will be." 

"Not to mention, you won't have to be around me anymore." 

I frowned at his last statement. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know _him_ more. 

That thought sparked an idea and I remembered the vinyl collection and the sound of Andy Williams voice flooding the record player's vintage speakers before he had walked in on and caught me snooping.  

"I didn't know you liked Andy Williams." I said softly, throwing away the paper from the bandage. 

I could feel his eyes on me, watching as I moved around his kitchen. 

"Yeah." He replied, just as soft as if it was some big secret that we were discussing.  

Perhaps it was. I wondered if anybody knew that he liked music like that. That he listened to the songs of old Hollywood, song that were so based on love that I probably would have thought it was a joke if someone would have told me Dave - _Dave_ out of all people listened to those kinds of songs. 

"I loved Moon River." I said, tossing the bloodied towel as well. 

"It's my favorite." He admitted. 

My face snapped towards his. Him? Moon River? His _favorite_? It was hard to imagine him listening to that, let alone, listening to it over and over again like one would when they found their favorite song. 

"Grab the bourbon behind you, I'll play you something you'll really like." He said, wiggling his brows as he pushed himself upright from where he was leaning on the metal of the refrigerator door. 

I chuckled but did what he asked. Of course I would follow him, I wanted to know as much as he would let me about him. 

By the time I had washed my hands and grabbed the bottle of alcohol that smelled a little to strong for comfort, Dave was standing by the record player, a black shirt was covering his previously exposed torso. 

I shook my head as disappointment flooded over. _You can't expect him to walk around half naked forever._ The voice in my head scolded. 

"What are you going to serenade me with now?" I said, coming to stand by him. 

He was putting another disk in. The label read, "Louis Armstrong". 

"Actually, I didn't do any serenading the first time. You serenaded yourself by going through my stuff." 

"I-" 

"And I'm playing you some Louis Armstrong." 

"You like jazz?" He added, pulling the vinyl from its cover. 

"Jazz? Do you mean Jay Z?" I asked, purposely acting clueless and widening my eyes to make it more believable. 

Dave's mouth dropped and his eyes were as almost as big as the vinyl. I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. 

"Of course I know what jazz is!" I smacked his arm playfully. 

"Fuck, Lyla, I thought you were being serious." Another roll of his eyes and I couldn't help but wonder if he was catching some of my bad habit. 

"Here's your drink." I said, smiling all the while. 

"You didn't want some?" 

It's weird. Him being polite and asking why I hadn't taken a some for myself. In the past two days I had known him it was either asshole Dave or smirky-asshole-ish Dave, but never, excited-about-music Dave or this one right now, nice Dave. It was strange and confusing and almost uncomfortable but I didn't complain. Knowing him, he could just as easily snap right out of this part of himself and go back to yelling me. So I enjoyed the moment. 

"I think I've had enough." I replied, referring to earlier in the evening when I'd been too intoxicated to walk back here on my own. 

Thinking about what had happened earlier, it felt so unbelievable. It felt like that night had belonged to a completely different day. So much had happened since I'd come back from that club. I'd found Dave's weird room, we'd kissed, I'd cleaned him up after finding a stab wound and now we were about to listen to some music. _His_ music. 

Dave set the record into the player and pressed play, then grabbed the bottle from my hand and plopped himself on the couch.

"Come here." He said, patting the space beside him. 

I hesitated. 

"Come on, you kissed me just an hour ago, I don't bite." 

He cocked one eyebrow, "unless you want me to." 

I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks as soon as he mentioned my bold move from earlier and I bit my lip under his stare. He patted the leather couch once more and I sighed in defeat. He was right. There was no need to be shy when just under an hour earlier, I had been ready to strip both him and myself against the very door that was to the right of this couch. 

As soon as I was seated by his side, the room was immediately filled with a heavy brass instruments. Followed by Armstrong's raspy voice. 

Dave's fingers began to tap along with the music as the others wrapped around the neck of the bourbon bottle. 

"Dream a little dream of me." Armstrong sang and I couldn't help but turn to watch Dave. 

If I thought Dave with all this old music was surprising then Dave listening to all this old music was mesmerizing. I couldn't keep my eyes on anything else but his face. 

He swung the bottle backwards, brown eyes closing with the action. His fingers still tapped to the beat. 

Instead of the sip that I would have probably taken if it was me holding that bourbon bottle, Dave took two long gulps before removing the bottle from his mouth and reopening his eyes.

He kept those brown orbs trained on the record player in front of his, they were half closed. 

"Say nighty night and kiss me." 

"Just hold me tight and tell me you miss me." 

"While I'm alone and blue as can be." 

One more swing of the bottle on that line. Shorter than the one before but longer than I would have ever managed. I glanced at the drink, while the light brown liquid had just been at the top of the bottle, it was already below the neck. 

"Dream a little dream of me." 

Dave's eyes were closed and I turned my body to him, hand coming underneath my chin as a rest. 

"Stars fading but I linger on dear." My eyes widened when Dave's voice joined in with Armstrong at the chorus. 

"Still craving your kiss." 

I knew he knew I was watching. The way his lips twitched, hinting at a smile was enough to know he knew. 

"Now I'm longing to linger on 'till dawn dear." 

"Just saying this-" 

Dave turned to me, lips pulled into that familiar cocky smirk. 

"Dance with me." He said,closing the bourbon bottle. 

He had turned too quickly for me to at least _pretend_ like I hadn't been watching him like a moonstruck idiot. 

"W-what?" 

Dave tossed the bottle towards the other side of the couch and stood. 

"Dance with me Ly." 

I wanted to tell him not to  move so suddenly so that his wound did't open up and start bleeding again but I knew he was drunk - or well on his way there -and the way his expression had went from a smirk to a sloppy smile was too much for me to say anything else but, "okay". 

I grasped his outstretched hand and the second I was on my feet he pulled me to him so quickly and with so much force, I rammed into his body. 

Armstrong's voice was replaced with a trumpet solo and Dave's one hand gripped my hip and the other laced its fingers with mine. His moves were as sloppy as his smile but it made me laugh and as he swayed us from side to side, I couldn't help but feel nothing but carefree. 

Is this what had Bri meant when she'd given those speeches about being young and wild and living in the moment before every party she went to and I stayed behind? Is this what it was supposed to feel like to not have a care in the world? 

I gazed into the eyes of a very drunk or tipsy Dave, maybe it wasn't what she had meant. Maybe it was just him. Thinking that he was anything but captivating was going to be a big fat lie. 

I didn't want to tell him or tell anyone but the more he touched me, the more I wanted. 

The clock behind Dave read 3:40 AM but here I was, standing in the living room of a man that I had known for only two days - of a man that had chloroformed me in the middle of the wis -twirling to Louis Armstrong and pretending like I didn't have care about anything else but this dance right here. 

It felt too good. 

And when Dave and I were finally breathless and when the song came to an end, Dave led me to the second door in the hallway, the bedroom, and pulled me down onto the bed with him. 

I hadn't showered or washed my face or done any of the things that I always did before going to bed but for once I didn't care. 

As soon as we were both on the bed, I curl my body around his and his arm pulls me close. 

  
Something told me the morning would be very different from what the night was ending with but I didn't care. I had a happy Dave beside me and for the first time ever, I felt completely blissful. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and tell me what you thought please! It really helps me work a lot faster! Xo, S


	8. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoy!

It was a single and stubborn ray of sunshine peaking through the space between the drawn curtains that finally woke me up. 

At first, as always, I didn't have any recollection of the night before and was completely stunned when I felt a body beside mine. 

_Why wasn't I in my dorm bed?_

And then it came to me. 

Bri walking in on Dave and I in the dorm. Introducing Dave as my fake boyfriend to Bri. Him asking me to come to his place. The nightclub. Zac. The kiss! And then the room-

Dave stirred and my eyes immediately went to his face. 

Without that cocky smirk or the angry scowl playing over his features, he looked so...so peaceful. Innocent, almost. 

I wanted to reach up and touch his face but I feared that the moment I touched him, those eyes would open and the spell of the night before would completely be over. 

Even if I did find that creepy room, we had danced to age old jazz and I'd been given glances of a very different side of Dave. 

Speaking of different sides, I wondered what side of Dave belonged to that third room down the hall.

_"That's all I can say. You've already seen the room, if you're trying to get yourself killed, then I'll tell you more but..."_

That's what he had said when I asked him about the wound. Did he really mean it when he said that part about getting killed? He couldn't possibly have...right? 

I recalled the dark and cold basement that I had woken up to just two nights ago and the men that seemed to work down there. I frowned, it was definitely a possibility. 

Dave turned to his side and I could see his face completely. His hair was ruffled and no longer swept upwards, instead, it went every way possible. He looked so much younger. He looked like an actual college student and not some dangerous guy that had kidnapped me. 

Yes. I thought to myself. There definitely was a Dave that belonged to that cold room. It was the same Dave that had chloroformed me and had dragged me around in that weird basement like place. 

I was still staring at him when his eyelids fluttered open. 

My breathing hitched when his sleepy eyes met mine. 

I waited for him to say something. I hoped he would say something. 

Especially because I had no idea what to do, let alone, say. 

He blinked a few times and underneath the light of the morning sun, dimmed by the room's curtains, Dave's brown eyes looked like a honey brown. 

"Get dressed." He grunted and then pulled himself up and off the bed. 

My mouth dropped without thought.  _That_ was it? 

He was just going to tell me to "get dressed" after that entire night? 

"Don't you have school or homework or something? Get dressed and I'll drive you back to campus." 

He barely glanced at me but I was still staring at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, mouth a little bit open and legs still wrapped in his sheets. 

"Um." I began. 

"Hurry up." 

This time he didn't even look my way. Instead, he grabbed a nearby hoodie and left the room. I heard the door of the bathroom shut second after. 

What the hell was that? 

I had expected a "good morning" maybe even a "hey" instead of an order to get ready to go. Was this his way of kicking me out?

Groaning, I pushed the sheets off and then pulled  _my_ self to my feet. My bags were still by the door where I had dropped them when he'd rushed over and kissed me. 

My heartbeat began to pick up at that memory. 

There was no way in hell that I could have been the only out of the two of us that felt that much spark. That much exhilaration from just one kiss. 

I frowned as my mind shoved the image of Dave pressed up against a girl at me. 

Maybe it was just one of us who felt that. Maybe it was just me who was just so wrapped up in him. Maybe  _I_ was the only one who was hanging on every single word. 

Perhaps this was his normal routine. Isn't that what one night stands were supposed to be like? 

I remembered him twirling me and singing loudly to Louis Armstrong. No. I couldn't believe that. This had to mean something. He  _had_ to had feel something if he was going to treat me like that...right? 

***

Twenty minutes and without another word later, I was back in the front of Dave's car. My bags had been tossed behind Dave's seat. 

I refused to talk before he did. Well, to be honest, even if I wanted to talk, I didn't what I would say. 

There was too much to say. 

"Are you mad or something?" Dave asked, glancing at me. 

 _Oh my god_. This boy. 

I rolled my eyes, turning away from him completely and leaning my head against the window. Did he think everyone wanted to be greeted first thing in the morning by getting kicked out of bed? 

The car swung to the side and I knew that it was without a doubt, Dave's anger getting the best of him. But I didn't care. I knew how much he hated it when I rolled my eyes but his literal first words to me this morning were an order, I think I had the right to roll my eyes. 

"I thought I told you I hated it when you rolled your eyes." 

"It's fucking annoying." 

I kept my eyes away from him and looking through the window, watching the cars we passed by. 

By now, I think knew how this worked. He would provoke me until I got mad at yelled and then he would say something annoying and give me a handsome smirk or say something cute and heartfelt and then I would melt. I didn't exactly want to fight right now so perhaps the best thing was to just stay quiet and not give in. 

"Are you fucking  _deaf_  or something?" 

I bit my tongue. Stopping myself from yelling at him for that comment. 

"Lyla!" The car lurched forward and my head hit the back of the seat with enough force that snapped my jaw shut. I turned to Dave. 

"Are you crazy?" I growled. 

"You're driving!" 

The hands gripping the steering wheel loosened when I finally spoke. 

"Well maybe if you answered I wouldn't have gotten angry." 

"Maybe if you weren't such an asshole I wouldn't be mad!" 

So much for not engaging. 

"What the hell did I do  _now?"_

I paused. What was I going to say? That I was mad that he didn't say anything nice to me in the morning? That he didn't acknowledge what had happened last night? I knew that saying that out loud would sound ten times more pathetic and desperate than it did in my head and it already sounded pretty pathetic and desperate in my head. So instead, I turned to the window again. This time, promising myself I wouldn't give into his jabs as easily as I had just now. 

I heard him rummaging through something, followed by the snap of his lighter. He was smoking. I made a mental note about how he seemed to only do so when he was either, A, stressed out like he probably was now since I'd just yelled at him or B, because he was mad. That was probably the reason why he smoked so much since he was usually either one of those things, if not both. 

"Look-" The windows opened and for a second I wanted to smile because he had remembered how I had reacted the first time he'd smoked around me. The voice at the back of my head, gave me a verbal slap for even thinking that.  _Can't you stand your ground?_

"Look." He began again, taking the exit towards the bridge that connected Brooklyn to Manhattan. 

"I'm not used to people sleeping in the same bed as me, alright?" 

"Why?" And just like that I had not only responded  _but_ I'd also let his asshole-ish behavior slide.

 _So much for standing your ground._  

"I mean, I'm used to  _sleeping_ with girls but usually I leave right after. I don't like sharing a bed." I pretended not to hear about the "used to the sleeping with girls" part. I knew he slept around. I mean, he looked practically like a Greek god - he could get  _any_ girl if he wanted to. 

"I just-I don't know how to explain it, I don't like people in my apartment either so waking up and just seeing you-" 

He tossed the cigarette out through the crack of his window. 

"It just surprised me that's all." 

"Why don't you like sharing a bed?" 

A shrug. "I just don't sleep well, or I  _usually_ don't sleep well." 

I was about to ask what he meant when he'd said he "usually didn't sleep well" but then the ringing of a phone cut me off. A phone... _my_ phone! My phone was ringing!

I reached behind Dave's seat where I'd tossed my backpack and unzipped the first pocket. 

Bri's called ID was flashing on the screen. I slid to answer. 

"Hey!" I greeted. 

" _Now_ you're picking up?" Bri growled. 

Frowning, I replied, "have you been trying to call? Sorry I was really busy." 

"Busy with your new  _boyfriend_?" Bri asked, though there was a hint of annoyance in her tone. 

"I guess." 

"What's wrong?" It wasn't like her to miss the opportunity to tease me. 

"You're  _brother_  came to visit, asked me about why you haven't been returning his or your parents' calls and if you're still coming to Thanksgiving dinner this weekend." 

 _"Oh_ crap." 

I glanced at Dave again who gave me a confused look. Did that mean I had to introduce  _him_  to my entire family?

"Are you coming back  _ever_? You know it's Thursday. As in brunch with friends day." 

Oh shoot. 

"I know, I know, I'm sorry I'm almost back." I lied. Truth was, I had completely forgot about that. Dave had been occupying too much of my head space. 

There was a sigh and then, "you should call your brother back, he wanted to see you and I think he wanted to drive back home with you but you weren't here so I just said-" 

"You didn't tell him about Dave did you?" My brother finding out about my fake and very temperamental boyfriend was the last thing I wanted. He would go straight to my parents and spill the beans and that was  _especially_  something I didn't want. At least, not yet, anyway. Not until I figured out if I was even going to go to Thanksgiving dinner. 

I wouldn't even be considering not going under any circumstances but inviting Dave to my actual home and bringing my entire family into this was exactly what I wanted to avoid. The less people that knew about him the easier it was for him to disappear out of my life when this week was over. I tried not to think about how not seen him made me feel. 

"No I didn't but you need to talk to your family and to Sam about Thanksgiving." 

"I know I know, I'll talk to Liam later and with Sam at brunch-" 

"Are you bringing him to brunch?" 

It took me a second to realize which  _him_ she was referring to. 

"Yeah. I think so." 

"Can't wait to meet him." Something in her tone had shifted and I knew exactly what it meant. 

"Oh my god, Bri, please don't." In all honesty, it wasn't a very heartfelt plea.

 I was just grateful she was back to teasing instead of being mad at me for not replying. 

"I'll see you later, bye!" 

The line went dead before I could argue. 

With a small smile, I locked my phone and returned it to where I had found it in my backpack. 

"What was that about?" 

"My brother came to visit. And you're invited to brunch." 

"Brunch?" Dave echoed, looking genuinely surprised when he turned to look at me with those light brown eyes. I suddenly remembered how they looked this morning, how they had been an almost sandy brown color under the sunlight. 

"Do you want come?" 

"With you and your friends?" 

"Yeah." 

With one hand still on the steering wheel, he brought the other to rub his jaw. I watched him as  he contemplated the offer in his mind. I knew it was probably against whatever probation rules they must've had back at whatever place he worked at but I hoped he would join me even though Bri was probably going to give him the biggest and longest interview of his life.

"Yeah." He finally said. 

"You'll come?" I couldn't help it. Relief washed over me when I realized he wasn't going to leave just yet. 

"Lyla, do I hear excitement in that voice of yours?" Dave teased. 

I chuckled. 

"Not a chance." 

Dave shook his head a smile on his lips. I couldn't help but smile right back. This was the Dave that I liked. Teasing and flirty Dave. Not the asshole that snapped at me for saying something that he didn't like. 

"Why? Were my karaoke skills not up to your standards?" 

My heart soared as soon as those words were out of his mouth. He was referring back to last night! Did that mean he remembered the dancing too? 

He reached towards the stereo of the car and after a single tap, the same brass melody of the night before filled the air around us. I widened my eyes. _How many Louis Armstrong CDs did he have?_

"You're obsessed!" I exclaimed. 

Dave shook his head, smile growing. 

"Stars shining bright above you" 

I rested my chin on my hand, watching Dave thoughtfully as he began to sing along softly to the song. 

"Why do you like this song so much?" I found myself asking. 

Dave glanced at me then back at the road and then shrugged. 

"Birds singing in the-come on Ly, I know you know the words to the next part." 

He turned the dial for the volume and the car was vibrating to the sound of the brass and I was laughing as loudly. 

"DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME!" I yelled and Dave burst into laughter. 

He lowered the volume when we approached our exit. I was still reeling from the sound of his laughter. I hadn't heard him laughing like that until now. 

"You're really something, Lyla." He said, still chuckling. 

I willed for my heart to stop beating so fast, any faster and I would probably faint. How embarrassing would that be? Fainting because of a boy. Because of Dave. 

"I do like that song too." I said, smiling warmly. 

His eyes were on my face and I could feel my cheeks heating up from the intensity of his stare. It wasn't intense in the way it was when he was mad at me or frustrated, it was a warm gaze. Warm enough for it to heat my entire body. Warm enough for me to actually  _feel_  him looking at me and in that moment, I knew that I would probably always react this way. I didn't know how or why but I knew  that my body would always respond to him. And right now, every nerve was on edge, every nerve was set ablaze just by his gaze. 

"Yeah?" He asked. His voice was soft and I didn't completely understand why this song meant so much or why he cared if I liked it too but I knew it meant enough from the look in his eyes. 

My hand was resting on my leg when his brushed against it and I almost jumped. 

If I thought my body was burning because of one look that Dave had given, it was a whole different matter now that his skin was on mine. I watched as he took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. 

I didn't say anything about it or ask why, it felt right and that's all I was going to think about. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, please leave me a review and tell me what you thought!


	9. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!

I was fidgeting in the front seat of Dave's car. Hands no longer in Dave's but in my own lap. 

Since he'd agreed to go to brunch, he'd also offered to drive us to wherever we were going. 

Dave hadn't spoken after talking about Louis Armstrong and I knew something else was definitely on his mind. I wondered if he regretted agreeing to brunch but I also felt like I was being paranoid because I knew just how crazy Bri was and how unpredictable she could be. She could either slide into the car and start talking about her day or she could hop right in and start asking questions about Dave's sex life - unfortunately, the latter had a higher chance of occurring. 

"Is that them?" Dave asked, making me look up from my lap. 

I spotted Bri, long dark, curly hair in a messy bun. She had a large scarf on to protect her from the New York cold. Beside her, Sam was also wrapped in something that looked equally as warm, his messy dirty blonde hair falling over his green eyes. I smiled and waved when they looked around for Dave's car. 

A moment later, Sam was opening the door and sliding across the backseats. 

"Nice car man." Sam greeted.

Dave nodded. "Thanks." 

"So do you live off campus?" Bri asked as soon as her butt had hit the seat and I immediately turned to give her a glare. She did it every time Sam brought some girl for us to meet and she was going to do it to Dave too. Of course a naive and small part of me had hoped she wouldn't treat this one like she had the others. 

Bri shrugged and pretended as if nothing was aloof, as if I wasn't burning holes in her skull or imagining a million different ways I could say something embarrassing during my future maid of honor's speech. 

This game she was playing, or Bri's idea of "brunch all together", usually and quickly would definitely become  "20 questions with whoever my friend has invited" and since I've never usually had a date, the only ones she'd played with before were the girls that Sam brought and because they were girls and probably wanted his friends approval, they weren't too annoyed by her interrogation. Dave on the other hand, was a completely different situation. For one, he wasn't even my boyfriend and two, well - he wasn't exactly your average guy - he had a room full of weapons for gods sake! He was not going to, as Bri would say when someone answered all her questions and made a good impression, "breeze through easily". He would probably say something moody and asshole-y and then Bri would definitely go ballistic on him. And I did not want to spoil brunch. Brunch was my safe haven. My few hours of bliss before I dived into school work.

"Yes, I live in Brooklyn." His answer was light but I knew better than to believe his act. It was the same false Dave that had met Bri at the dorms. The "boyfriend" Dave.

I fumbled with my hands, picking at my cuticles as I listened to their conversation.

"You live alone? What do you do for a living?"

I stole a glance at Dave, wondering what he would respond with. A part of me thought these questions could be a good thing, I would learn a lot more than he would ever tell me. Of course that would be assuming he's being honest about them.

"I'm a promoter for a few nightclubs around Manhattan."

My eyes returned back to his face and this time he returned my gaze. I only hoped that I didn't look as dumbstruck or as surprised as I felt.

_Is that why we had gone to that club so out of the blue the previous night?_

"So you get paid to party?"

The hands on the wheels clenched but I saw no strain in Dave's face or his voice. Instead a chuckle slipped through his lips. All I could think was:  _fake fake fake._

"Yeah, sort of like that I guess."

"If a lot of people come then I get paid."

"Aw I bet that pays well, man. I need a job like that."

"You can come to one of my parties, I'll introduce you to a few people."

Sam's response was almost instant. "Yah man, I'd like that."

I didn't know what was more shocking, Dave's acting skills or the fact that he'd just invited  _my_  friend to one of his parties. 

No. 

I didn't like this Dave at all. 

It was foreign and weird. 

Dave pulled into an empty parking spot by the entrance of the small cafe, a rare occurrence because this was New York and there was almost never an open parking spot by anywhere you wanted to go.

Bri and Sam both opened their doors to leave but I waited a second longer, a second more to say what I thought about this entire thing to Dave. The real Dave and not fake boyfriend Dave.

"Stop being so nice." I hissed, keeping my eyes on him.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and gave me a smirk, "have to impress your friends somehow, babe".

There it was again. That word.  _Babe._ My stomach fluttered at that and I had to scold myself for reacting so blatantly. I knew that my cheeks were pink. I could feel the heat in my face.

Dave opened his door to get out and with a shake I followed. 

***  
We were seated in a booth seat. Dave and I on one side and Bri and Sam on the other.

I had order chocolate chip waffles and Dave had ordered eggs which was I found odd because I couldn't picture him eating something so domestic.

"So how did you guys meet?" Sam asked after the waitress had taken our menus. I wanted to kick Sam underneath the table. This was  _not_ an interview and they were  _not_  my parents. They needed to butt out. 

"At a party." I replied and before Bri could ask another question, I followed with.

"So what are your plans for Thanksgiving?"

Bri gave me a knowing smile. 

"I'm going home to LA. What about you Dave?"

Damn it.

"I usually don't celebrate Thanksgiving."

"What?" His response had caught me off guard and it was my turn to ask the questions as I set my wide eyes on him.

Dave shrugged.

"My family and I don't get along so I don't usually go see them."

I wanted to ask if it was something to do with the game and the room full of knives and guns. Did his family know?

"I usually don't go home either, I spend Thanksgiving with Lyla's family."

I felt Dave place his arm on the booth's seat behind my head, his hand was lingering just over my shoulder. If I didn't know better it looked like he was claiming territory, warning off Sam who just said he spends Thanksgiving with me. But I knew better and I knew there had to be an explanation to why his arm was  _literally_  around me. 

Or maybe it was like the hand holding in the car? But even then I didn't know why he'd grabbed my hand so that didn't really help explain anything. 

"That's really nice. Lyl, where's your family from?" Dave asked and I almost choked on the water that I was sipping from the fact that he'd just addressed me as  _Lyl_  in front of my friends. No one called me that. Well,not for the longest time - maybe when I was younger but all my friends knew how much I hated that nickname so it had been dropped in middle school. But for some odd reason, hearing it slip from Dave's lips, so casually, made the nickname sound almost perfect. 

Bri's surprised expression mimicked my own. 

"From here. They live here."

"You a park avenue princess?" He asked with a hint of a smirk.  _Aha_ , there was the actual Dave. Teasing and all smirky.

"No!" I exclaimed at the same time Sam answered, "yes".

Dave's one eyebrow arched in question, I grabbed my glass of water so I didn't have to talk anymore. This was insane. Why did I feel so nervous around him?  _This is not real this is not real._

"What's your major? Are you a freshman? I haven't seen you in any of my classes."

"And you take  _all_  the classes?" Dave challenged though there was a teasing smile on his lips.

Sam burst out laughing. "Oh my god, thank you for that. Bri literally walks around thinking she knows everything and everyone-"

"Sam! That's not true! I was just saying I haven't seen him before, that's all!" 

I chuckled at my best friend but the laughter caught in my throats when I felt Dave's arm, the one that was resting on the seat,  _actually_  wrapped around me. His leg bumped against mine and instead of pulling away, he kept it beside mine. My stomach was immediately fluttering again. He pulled me closer with the arm that was now hanging on my shoulders so that I was leaning on him instead of seat. 

Everything he touched, my shoulders down to my legs, burned from his heat and I desperately wanted to know if he felt it too. If he could literally remember the feeling of my lips against his. Because the instant he'd pulled me into him, that was all I could think about. Him, me, Louis Armstrong and the dancing.

His phone rang, jolting me out of my thoughts and interrupting whatever Bri was asking.

Dave piled his phone out of his pocket and my eyes went to the caller ID. It read Zac.  _Zac from the club?_

"Sorry guys, it's business, I have to take this." He removed his arm from around me and the absence of his touch immediately made me feel more alone and colder than before. 

I stared after him as he walked out of the cafe. Business as in the same kind of business that got him stabbed?

"I like him, Lyla." Sam said as soon as Dave disappeared through the doors.

"What?" I asked, for a moment forgetting that Dave was supposed to be my boyfriend.

"I don't know, something about feels off."

"Gee thanks." I replied, rolling my eyes at Bri.

The action made me think of just how much Dave hated it and my eyes glanced back to the doors that Dave had just walked through. 

"You're obviously smitten with him though." Bri responded.

I widened my eyes. "Am not!"

"Yeah you are, he put his arm around you and you had that look on your face-"

"I was just surprised he would do that in front of you guys that's all!"

" _And_  he called you Lyl and I know how much you hate being called that."

"I don't  _hate_  it." 

What a complete lie. 

I glanced back at the doors to see if Dave was coming back -- what was that call about?

"Okay but on a scale of one to ten you're definitely at a nine."

Before I could respond, Dave's head poked into the cafe. His eyes scanned the entirety of the small diner before he settled on my blue. 

He gestured for me to come to him. 

"I'll be right back." I said to Bri and Sam, removing the napkin from my lap and placing it on the table.

Bri furrowed her eyebrows at me before following my gaze to the door.

"Ah." She said, as if something clicked and she understood everything which was so far from the truth.

"Definitely a nine out of ten." Sam replied, smiling at me.

"Shut up you guys." 

With that, I left our booth and went to the door that Dave had again disappeared through. 

Once I stepped outside, he was waiting for me by his car. Leaning against it as if he was a model from some kind of manly television ad. I cursed him for being so good looking and then myself for even paying attention to details like that. I doubted he did the same for me. Not that my looks were good enough to be as admired like his.

"I have to go." He said when I was within earshot.

"Where?"

"And you're back with the questions. Didn't your friends ask enough?"

"And we're back to being an asshole." I retorted, my fists clenched automatically. What had I expected? This was him. This was the real him. Mean and annoying. 

He chuckled. 

But also so ridiculously, strangely, charming.

"I have to take care of some stuff, I'll come by and pick you up."

"Don't miss me too much." He replied, opening the door of his car.

"Are you going to come back the way you did last night?"

His brows shot upward in surprise and for a second I wondered if he would get mad at me for bringing it up.

Instead, he smiled and tapped the bottom of my chin gently with his forefinger. My heart jumped. 

"If I do, at least you'll be there."

I watched him slide into his car, a cigarette already between his lips.

"See you soon Lyl."

And then he was off. Engine singing as he pulled out of the parking spot and sped down the street. 

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and I couldn't help but wonder why, if I hated how he acted and how I couldn't predict his moods -  _why_  did my heart feel heavy watching his black car disappear.

I shook myself and turned back to the cafe. Whatever I felt for Dave, it was wrong. And useless. He could charm me as much as he wanted but I knew better than to believe anything he said. If anything, the way he had so quickly and easily found that random girl and danced with her in  _that_  way, it showed that he was anything but genuine with what he said to me. 

I pushed the doors open and walked back to where Sam and Bri sat. The food had arrived while I had been out. 

"Where's Dave?" Bri asked when I sat back down.

"Oh he had to leave for something with work, I think something happened."

Sam frowned and I shrugged.

"Well hopefully we'll get to see him again." Sam said.

"He's going to pick me up later so maybe you can say hi then." 

I glanced up in between a chocolate chip waffle bite. Bri was giving me the strangest look and she only gave me that look when she thought something was wrong and I did not want to find out what.

Dave was only assigned to keep his eyes on me for a week. That's how long my lie had to last. And then I would feign a breakup and tell them that it was bad and that I would never see him again.

I couldn't help but frown.  _Why did I not feel relieved?_

Shouldn't I be happy that I didn't have to deal with him? To deal with his bipolar-ness? 

What made me want to spend so much time with him? That was what I wanted... _right_? To be around him? 

"Lyla are you okay?" Bri asked and I was forced to look up from where I was staring at my half eaten waffle.

"Yeah, sorry, was just thinking."

"Did Dave say something?" She pressed. 

"No, of course not. I was just thinking about homework." 

She frowned. I was a terrible liar.

"You want to go back? I have a lot of work as well."

"Yeah, I'm almost done". 

Sam gestured to the waitress for our bill. 

And I returned to my thoughts about Dave. I couldn't do anything else - I had to rationalize these thoughts somehow. 

But I also had never felt the way I had when he had kissed me. Or when I was wrapped in him the night before.

Did I like him?

"You ready?"

I absentmindedly nodded.

I couldn't. I couldn't possibly.

 


	10. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait!

When we had returned to the dorms, Sam had said something about meeting some of his guy friends from the football team to watch tonight's game which had left me alone with Bri.

Any other day and without Dave in the picture I would have been grateful to have some girl talk time with my best friend but I knew exactly what she would ask and what she would say so I was dreading the moment we were in our dorm room.

As soon as I had put down my bags and the door was closed, Bri began her interrogation.

"Are you okay? Are you happy? Something doesn't feel right about him. You're so quiet."

"I'm just tired that's all. I didn't sleep too well last night."

"Why?" She paused, widening her eyes and I immediately knew what she had interpreted my lack of sleep as.

"No! No not because of that. We just spent a long time talking and it was weird not sleeping here so I just didn't fall asleep for a while."

 _And Dave got stabbed and I had to clean his wound up for him and we kissed and I almost cried._ I wanted to add. But I couldn't. Then I would have to explain everything and I knew that would only cause more trouble. Trouble that I didn't want my best friend to get involved in.

"It's just so weird that he's  _already_ you're boyfriend when you've known him for like - I don't know - a day?" 

"I just feel like you're not telling me something- like something big!" She continued. 

_Like he was not actually my boyfriend? Like how we first met was not at a party but in some room of a creepy basement where I had been held captive?_

"There really isn't. He's nice. He's good looking-"

"Lyla he's  _extremely_  good looking. He looks like a model." Bri said laughing.

I joined in and started to empty my bags. 

"Are you staying here for the night?" Bri asked watching me take out last nights clothes.

I shook my head. "He wants me to stay over again."

She didn't reply right away and I glanced up at her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were pulled into a thoughtful pout. 

"You should be careful." 

"Don't rush into things."

I nodded and smiled a big smile for my best friend. 

"Thanks Bri, I know." 

_I wish I could tell you everything._

"You want to go to a Starbucks to work or something?" I said instead. 

Bri nodded and grabbed her backpack.

"You  _have_ to help me with intro to biology, I'm  _freaking_  out because I don't know a thing about cells and you're a science geek and understand everything."

She said, linking her arm with mine and leading the way down our hall once we were out of the dorm.

"Okay but you have to help me with this literature class. I don't know a thing about poetry. Emily Dickinson to be specific."

***

At exactly eight o'clock my phone rang, vibrating loudly on the table. Bri didn't look up from her biology lab.

I didn't have to glance at the caller ID to know who it was. I could  _literally_  feel it. 

"Hello?"

"Hey doll." 

My breath caught in my throat at the sound of his voice and... _had he just called me doll?_

My mind went back in time to the time I'd first walked into his apartment and had been furious over the fact tat I felt upset when he'd told Jake that I wasn't "his type". He'd called me "doll face" then. 

"Are you here?" I asked and this time Bri looked up from her laptop screen and arched one perfect eyebrow at me.

"Not yet. But I wanted to hear your voice." 

_What?_

"Are you okay?" I asked, laughing nervously. 

"Yeah. Can't I call you?"

"Well, you're being too charming for you."

Bri rolled her eyes at me and went back to typing. She was probably thinking "yuck, lovesick teenagers" . 

" _And_  I was thinking about something."

"Yeah?" I asked, curiosity sparked.  I absentmindedly brought the back of the pen to my mouth and bit at the cap as I waited for his response.

"You know how I have to keep an eye on you for a week-"

"Yeah."

"And it's Thanksgiving break next week."

"And didn't you say you spend it with family and Sam?"

"Yeah." Oh crap. I hadn't thought about him meeting my family. 

"Am I going to meet your family?" Dave asked. I heard a quiet exhale on his end of his phone and I knew instantly he was smoking. Which he only did when he was impossibly angry with me or had something on his mind that he was anxious about.

"I guess. I don't know-I have to go-so I guess you would come-I-"

"I'm here come outside." He said. Something in his tone had shifted and I knew the playful Dave was gone. 

Did he not want to meet my family? Well, I guess he wouldn't have necessarily  _wanted_  to, given he was not my boyfriend and had also barely known me for a two days.

"Okay I'm at the Starbucks by the dorms."

The line went dead and I frowned.

"Do you have to go?" Bri asked. 

"Yeah." 

I packed by things and gave Bri a quick hug goodbye but I barely registered what she said- something about a party - I was too focused on what had caused Dave's change in mood and which version I would have to deal with because of it.

His mustang was by the end of the road when I finally stepped out.

The windows were tinted so I couldn't see him but I didn't have to check and see if it was Dave, I'd spent enough time in that car to recognize it without the driver's face  _or_ a license plate.

I pulled on the handle and the lights of the car illuminated the inside. Revealing Dave who was dressed in an matching all black outfit. 

"Hey." I greeted, sliding in.

"Hey." He replied, giving me his signature smirk.

I wish he would smile, wish he would have given me something more genuine but I would have been a liar if I said that the smirk didn't make my stomach all flutter-y.

He drove away from the coffee shop and I turned to him. Curious to find out whatever I could.

"How was business?"

"I didn't get stabbed so I guess it was okay."

I smiled, remembering our little squabble in the kitchen about cleaning his wound.

"Does it feel better today by the way?" 

He shrugged. "I don't think you understand that I'm used to this Lyla, it doesn't hurt." 

"Used to this? What exactly do you do? I know that promoter was just a lie for Sam and Bri-" 

He held his finger up, halting me mid sentence. "Wrong." 

"I  _am_ a promoter." 

"Then what's the room for?" 

Dave's jaws clenched and I knew I'd hit a nerve. I waited for his response. 

"You already know too much as it is. Don't ask me about it again, alright? You don't have to think about it after this week." 

"What I told Bianca was true by the way - I am a promoter, I do live in Brooklyn - well that you know - and I don't spend Thanksgiving with my family." 

"Do  _they_ know?" I asked, ignoring the part where he'd used the wrong name for Bri  _again._

Dave snapped his head towards me, eyes blazing. 

"Will you fucking stop asking questions about it? I told you to drop it, so drop it!" 

I turned away from him and he sighed. 

We didn't speak for the remainder of the car ride. I was set on not saying anything because he'd been an asshole yet again and him- well, you never knew with him but I guessed he just didn't care enough to say anything either. 

He parked the car into the same empty spot from the previous night. 

"We're going to another party tonight so get ready - I have to make an appearance at a party at 1Oak." 

"I have homework." I said, not meeting his eyes. 

"And I have  _actual_  work so we're going to 1Oak." 

Suddenly all I wanted to do was go back to the dorms and go to bed. Being around him drained me as easily and quickly as it filled me. I didn't want to fight anymore about the same damn thing again and again and I definitely did not want to go on the same rollercoaster of emotions that I had went on last night. 

I wanted to go to bed and just forget about everything until tomorrow. 

***

My dream of staying in the dorms and just resting was exactly that, a dream. Not even fifteen minutes after we'd set foot into the house, Dave and I were back in his car. I wasn't trying as hard the first night so I'd just grabbed the same black dress and a shorter pair of heels. Dave, who literally smelled like male heaven, was dressed in a tight fitting all white button down and black pants with black suit shoes. 

If I didn't already know how the night would end up, I probably would have been a mess with confused hormones but I knew exactly what to expect. We'd probably fight. And then something that confused me even more would happen and I'd be left wondering what the hell was going on and Dave would just be-well-unbothered by it all. 

"Don't talk to anyone alright? Especially Zac." 

I furrowed my eyebrows, for a moment, not remembering Zac and why Dave didn't want me to talk to him but then a pair of light blue eyes and light blonde hair and a surfer smile came to mind and I nodded. 

"Are we going to be there long?" 

"An hour tops." Dave said. 

***

The nightclub was as miserable as the first one we'd been to. Though we'd just stepped inside, I could already tell that this would be way too loud and too hot and I would probably just spend the night watching all of the half naked people dance on each other. 

The bouncer had offered to escort Dave to where he was supposed to go and he led us right to the edge of the sweaty and too drunk for their own good, crowd.

When Dave began to follow him through the crowd, I couldn't help but stop short. 

This wasn't my scene. I should be back at my dorm studying for future tests and doing homework. I shouldn't be following my fake boyfriend around-

My thoughts stopped when Dave looked back over his shoulder for me. When his eyes caught me standing still and probably looking a little too afraid and out of place, he gave me a small smile and I almost widened my eyes in surprise. His left hand raised, his palms open and offering to lead me through. 

All thought of homework and studying was thrown out the window. I took a step forward and let my hand find his. His fingers intertwined with mine and I felt my heart rate spike. 

Dave tugged on my hand and pulled me a little closer to him. I let my other hand grasp his forearm so my chest was pressed against his left side. It was partially because I wanted to be close to him again and also because someone had shoved me forward.

The bouncer pushed most of the drunks out our way and we arrived in the closed off area a lot faster than I anticipated. Or hoped for since as soon as we'd made it through the crowd, Dave let go of my hand. 

"You're back!" 

I whipped around, eyes wide with surprise by the sudden outburst. 

My blue met another and I knew instantly who it was. Zac. 

"Zac." I greeted, taking a step back so he wasn't too close.

His eyes went from to something behind me and that surfer smile was clean wiped off his face. 

"Later." And then he pushed past me and joined the rest of this exclusive crowd on the white sofas. 

I turned to see what had made his attitude do a complete 180. 

Dave grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him. I had to place my hand on his chest to make sure I didn't smash right into it.

"Dave!" I exclaimed.

"I thought I told you not to talk to him." He growled into my ear.

"I was just saying hi!"  _Why the fuck did he always treat me like some child?_

"Do  _not_ talk to him again." 

I pulled away. Blood boiling and ears ringing. 

"And don't speak to me like that! If I want to talk to someone I will!" 

"Ly-"

I snapped around, pulling my wrist from his grasp and took a step towards Zac and the couches. Once I was beside him, I plopped myself right beside Dave's blue-eyed friend. 

I glanced back to see the offender's reaction. His brown eyes were sizzling and his jaws were so tight set I could see the veins in his neck. God he was impossible.

"Lyla, I can't-" Zac began when he felt me move on the sofa beside him. 

"You can. Dave has no right to tell me who to and to not talk to." 

I didn't fully comprehend half of the things that were coming out of my mouth. All I knew was that no one had the right to control me the way Dave always tried to control me and I was not having any of it.

"Get me a drink will you? If I'm going to miss half of the night stuck in here I might as well enjoy myself." 

Zac's eyebrows furrowed and he looked past me again. He wasn't going to do  _anything_. Groaning in frustration, I grabbed the glass of brown stuff in his hand and downed the whole thing in one go.

"Lyla!" Zac exclaimed, grabbing the glass back. 

I closed my eyes when the burn of the drink washed down my throat. It was strong. A lot stronger than the mojito Zac had ordered me the night before and the taste reminded me of pennies. I wanted to gag but that was not what I was going for. I was going for strong and independent, vomiting was definitely not either of those.

So instead I closed my eyes and willed for them not to water.

"Lyla? Are you okay?"

I nodded and when I was sure I wasn't about to throw up or cry from the taste, I opened my eyes, meeting Zac's blue ones. Before he or I could say something, movement on the right caught my eye and I turned just in time to see Dave sit himself between two, tan and long legged blondes. That too made me want to throw up.

"Are you sure?" Zac was asking, bringing my attention back to him. 

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm just upset."

"Yeah, I figured. Dave told me-" his eyes widened and shut his mouth immediately.

I frowned. "Dave told you what?"

Zac shook his head. "Nothing."

"Zac, it's fine. He's an asshole that's it." I was pretty sure Dave would hear about my bad mouthing him. It felt so out of character for me to say something like that about someone but I was getting fed up with getting tossed around. I was tired of being a "doll" one second and then extra weight the next. 

"Lyla, you don't know what kind of guy you're dealing with. He's not what you may think-"

"I know." I interrupted, looking down at my hands. 

I knew he was referring to the kind of guy that I'd seen that night in the woods. The kind of guy that had a room full of explosives and guns. 

"What?" Zac asked. 

I shrugged and looked up when I saw Zac down another glass. I hadn't seen him getting another but there it was. That same brown liquid going down his throat too.

"So you know about it then? The game?"

"I guess." Not a complete lie. I had heard Dave talking about before. I knew it existed. 

"Then you know once you know about it, you're in it for good right?" 

"Yes." That wasn't a lie either. Dave had said the same thing to his friend that night. 

"I don't get why-I don't understand why he would have told you this-" Zac started, looking down at his own hands while I looked up. 

"Can you tell me more? Please, I have to know-" 

"It's dangerous-" He paused. 

"But I guess Dave would have already warned you about that if he told you." 

Right then would have been the perfect time to tell him that Dave hadn't told me anything and that this was what I had overheard that night he'd caught me but instead I held my tongue. If this was the key to understanding Dave, that room and wherever he went in the middle of the night then I wanted to hear it. I wanted to know. 

Zac slid a little closer to me so the music of the nightclub wouldn't drown out anything he was about to say. 

"Dave and I met in the game. He was a competitor five years ago, a player." 

"He was one of the best too. Him, me and this other kid, it was just down to the three of us and we all had to hang on one of the bars of a crane. It was super high up - I don't even remember seeing the ground when I look back at it." 

"Dave and I and the other kid, we were supposed to hang onto it for a minute. This was the final dare though so we all knew what had to happen, only one of us could make it out-"

"The kid was hanging between us and all of us had made it to one minute and suddenly he started lunging towards us, kicking and trying to dislodge us." 

"What? Why?" 

Zac widened his eyes. "He didn't tell you?" 

"To leave the game, Lyla, you have to win. You have to be the last player." 

"And when he was kicking, I don't know, I got scared and I pulled myself up but Dave was on the other side so he either had to fall or push the kid-" 

"No-" 

"I don't think he really meant to, it all just happened so fast and when the kid kicked him again, Dave kicked him back and the kid lost his grip-" 

"He killed him." My eyes were wide and I couldn't help but glance back at Dave who was lost in conversation with one of the blondes. Feeling my gaze, Dave looked away from the pretty blonde and at me. 

"He didn't mean to." Zac defended, making me turn back to him.  

"The kid slipped and Dave and I went straight to the cops after that. We told them about everything, the game, the watchers, the people behind it-but of course they didn't believe us. The designers- "

From the corner of my eye, I could see Dave standing up.  _He was coming this way!_

"The designers trapped us in the game for a year after that and then when we refused to play-" 

"Zac." 

_Dave._

***


	11. Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to add that I'm going to change some parts of the game and the rules for the purpose of the storyline, etc so if you pick up on any differences, that's why! Enjoy!

"Zac." 

I pulled away immediately when I heard him. Although he had called for Zac, I knew he was looking at me. I could tell without looking up at him. 

"Dave-" Zac began and I almost felt sorry for him since I was the one who'd made him spit out all the secrets. 

"We'll talk about it later." Dave said. 

This time I looked up and my blue eyes met his blazing brown. 

"Lyla." His jaws were set tight again and for a heartbeat I wanted to roll my eyes at him because he was  _always_ mad about something but I knew better. 

"Let's go." 

I glanced at Zac and gave him a small smile. I didn't want to argue with Dave and even though my curiosity was dying to consume me - if it hadn't already - I knew it would be a lot easier to talk to Dave alone rather than in front of a whole club. And however that fight would turn out, I especially did not want Zac in the middle of it. 

I stood when he began to move. 

While I followed him and his bouncer back out of the nightclub, I wondered what he'd say. Would he explain or would he yell? My bet was on the latter. He yelled most of the time anyway and  I was pretty certain that this would be like all of those other times. Especially since I had I deliberately went out of my way to, not only to talk to Zac but to ask him about everything Dave refused to talk about. 

When we got inside his car, he didn't immediately start it. I kept my eyes on my hands which were playing with nervously with the hem of my dress. 

"I don't know what to do with you." Dave admitted. Finally breaking the silence. 

I almost choked at the sound of his voice. He sounded, almost...lost? Defeated? I looked at him so I could see his expression. 

His forehead was pressed against the steering wheel. 

"I tell you to stop asking questions yet you ask them anyway. I tell you the less you know the better and within five minutes you're sitting by Zac asking him about everything that I told you it was better off not knowing." 

"Don't you understand, Lyla?" His eyes were closed, voice gruff. 

 "Once they know you know, they'll either kill you or keep you-I was just trying to..." Dave trailed off, shaking his head.  

"You were trying to what?" I asked. 

Dave shook his head. 

"It's too late. Zac will tell them that you know more than I told them you know and then that'll be it." 

"I don't understand-" Who was  _they_? The designers? The ones that had trapped Dave in the game?

Dave turned to me, eyes narrowed and jaws set in that telltale way. "Of course you don't fucking understand! You were supposed to stay  _out_  not sneak around for information!" 

His anger only rubbed off on me. Did he really expect me to sit around and accept everything he told me to do? Did he expect me to just give it a week without the slightest clue about  _why_  I was even giving it a week? 

"You gave me no other choice!" 

"You were so hard to understand, you'd yell and then you'd be so nice the next second. Why are you even watching over me?" 

"And why do you come at three in the morning with a stab wound-I  _just-_ I wanted to understand!" 

"Why the fuck do you  _care_  how I act? Why the fuck do you  _care_  if I come back with a wound or not?" 

I stayed silent. He  _knew_. He had to have figured it out. From the kiss and to everything in between, there was no way he wouldn't see why I cared. 

Dave scoffed when all I did was stare back. 

"If I fucking cared you would know." His voice was chipped, eyes hard and burning with anger. 

I could feel mine burning with tears. 

_He was so mean._

"You're such an asshole." I managed before opening the car door and stepping out. I didn't care if it was eleven in the evening or if it was two in the morning. I was done. I was done being his punching bag and I was definitely done letting him jerk me from one side to the next. 

"Lyla!" I heard him call after me. 

I began to run. I had to get away from him. 

"Stop, Lyla!" 

I turned on the street without even thinking about where it was going or where  _I_ was trying to go. 

And as soon as I turned, I rammed into a very tall and a  _very_  drunk man. Before I could fall backwards from the impact of the collision, the man grabbed me by my arms, hands rough and calloused against my skin. 

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing around here alone?" His breath stank of alcohol and cigarettes and all I wanted to do was vomit. I closed my eyes and tried to step away. 

"Stop." I managed, turning my face away from him as my heart began to pound. I could hear it in my ears. 

"Show me that pretty face, come on, don't be shy. Why are you hiding?" He cooed. 

I tried to pull away again, stepping backwards only to be pulled against him. 

"Where you trying to go, doll-face?" His grip strengthened and I cried out in pain. 

" _Please_ , let me go." I begged or, tried to. 

I could feel the tears tightening in my throat and the harder I tried to pull away, the stronger his grip would become. 

"Hey! Get the fuck off of her!" 

I gasped at the sound of Dave's voice.  _Oh, thank god. Thank god, thank god, thank god._

Before the man that had his hands on me could reply, he was sent flying backwards. His hands releasing me the instant impact Dave shoved him. 

The man stumbled once before regaining balance and he stared at Dave. I finally got a good look at him. His dark eyes were blood shot and his dark hair matted against his forehead with sweat. My insides churned just at the sight of him and by the thought of what had happened - what  _could_  have happened if Dave hadn't been coming after me. 

"Don't fucking touch her again, you fucking dick." Dave swung, hitting the man hard and square on the jaw. 

Drunk and with reflexes probably half the speed of Dave's, my attacker fell backwards, landing on his rear before rolling to his side. A loud groan emitted from him and although he deserved the punch, I stepped forward. Hands wrapping around Dave's forearm and pulling him backwards. I had seen enough. I wanted to leave. 

"Stop." I pleaded, this time with Dave. 

Dave swung towards me, eyes cold and dead until he saw the tears in my eyes and the way I was clutching his arm. 

"Come on." He said, while he pulled me into him. 

Before I knew it, he'd swept me off my feet, carrying me in his arms. I didn't argue and I definitely did not pull away. All I did was wrap my arms around his neck and press my head into his shoulder. 

The tears that had been threatening to spill since our argument in the car came then. 

***

Twenty minutes later and we were still in the car. I was in Dave's lap. Arms still around his neck and head still buried in his shoulder. I hadn't realized but my entire body was shaking from what I had just experienced. Dave had his arms around me, one hand massaging little circles on my arm  and the on my waist to keep me against him.  

"Lyla, it's okay, I'm here, nothing happened." 

Even though I wasn't sobbing, I knew he could feel the spot where his shirt had soaked up my tears. 

"It's okay." He said again, lips pressed to my head. 

I only gripped onto him harder. 

***

I'd fallen asleep.

I'd fallen asleep and he'd carried me back to his bed. 

I only realized this when I woke in an empty bed the next morning. Curtains open and sun blaring through the windows and right on my face. 

My eyes felt swollen and my arms felt sore but other than that, I was no longer shaking like I had been the night before. 

I pulled myself up, the sheets pooling at my lap with the movement. 

The bedroom door was open and through it I could see Dave sitting on his leather couch, facing away from me and staring at something on the wall. 

I pushed myself to the edge of the bed, feet on the ground and pulling my entire body up and off the mattress. I was still in yesterday's dress and reeked of the nightclub and my hair was probably as chaotic as the rolled sheets on this bed. 

The floor creaked when I took a step towards the living room and Dave turned. 

With the morning sun shining on him, his eyes were a light brown - an almost caramel shade. 

"Hey." He greeted, giving me a half smile. 

I didn't know what was stranger, the smile or a proper good morning greeting. The last time I'd woken up here, he'd practically kicked me out. 

"What time is it?" It was Friday which meant I had four classes. 

"Eleven." I stopped by the doorway of his bedroom. Eyes widening. _It was Friday and I had already missed two of the four._   Before I could make a statement about how late I was and how much I hated missing class, Dave patted the space beside him. 

"Come here." 

I bit my tongue and walked over. 

"I couldn't sleep." Dave admitted. 

I immediately remembered that time in the car when he'd told me about how much he hated sharing the bed and how it made it impossible for him to sleep. 

"Sorry." I looked down at my hands. 

" _Sorry_?" He echoed in disbelief. 

"Lyla, I was a total asshole to you and you were nearly-" I looked up when he stopped. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Dave said, hands covering his face as his shoulders slumped forward. 

I leaned in immediately. I didn't want to comfort him after what he'd said last night but he looked so, so  _sad._

"You didn't know he was going to be there, it's not your fault." I offered. 

"Yeah but I'm the reason you ran out. I'm the reason you were on that street in the first place." 

I hesitantly placed a hand on his back. 

"Yeah but I-" 

Dave turned to me as soon as my and met his back. Eyes bloodshot and my breath caught in my throat and the words stopped. He kept his eyes locked on mine and slowly he leaned in towards me. I couldn't find it in myself to pull back. Despite everything he had said and done, I couldn't make myself pull away. Instead I sat still, watching him as his red eyes travelled from my green to my mouth. 

And then he closed the space between us completely and his lips met mine. 

I  _knew_  it was wrong. God, I could even  _feel_ that it was wrong. But it was like all sense was thrown right out the window when his lips were on mine and the added desperation in his kiss hooked me entirely. His strong arms wrapped around me and I was pulled into him. 

The kiss was in no way as lustful as our first one had been. It was a little slow and it was just his lips on mine. This time, he didn't pull my hands away from him, this time he let me wrap my own arms around his neck. 

Dave pulled away slightly and my eyes reopened. His eyes found mine once more. 

"What are you doing?" I asked, breathless and voice barely more than a whisper. 

"I'm sorry." He said and this time he pulled me onto his lap, lips pressing against mine again.  

I could tell he was being more cautious with me. Grip soft and light wherever he held me, his kiss deep but not deep enough to recreate any of the same urgency. The same kind of urgency that had me pinned against his front door. 

I could feel my body responding to it though. Like it always did, it came alive as soon as I felt Dave's skin on mine. His touch leaving a trail of fire wherever it went. My cheek, the back of my neck, my waist, it all burned underneath his touch. 

"Come on." He said, pulling away again and guiding me off his lap. I pouted in disappointment. 

"I'll make you breakfast and then you can do your homework or something."

"Homework?" I echoed. 

Dave's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, you don't have to- it was just a- you can do anything -  _really_."

I wanted to smile as he stumbled. I knew he had assumed that I had thought he was telling me what to do again but honestly it was just shock. Why would I want to do any homework when a minute ago I had been on Dave's lap with my lips on Dave's? 

"Do you like pancakes?" He said, getting up from the couch. 

"Whatever is fine." I said, fighting a smile. 

I wanted to ask what those kisses had meant but I decided to just follow him into the kitchen. Was that an apology for the night before or did that mean he cared? Cared in the same way I cared?

Dave opened the fridge. Head bowing as he scanned his practically empty refrigerator for whatever he was going to use to make pancakes.

"Do you want me to tell you about the game?" 

I was midway of jumping onto the kitchen counter when he asked me and if it hadn't been for the sink faucet I grabbed while trying to get myself on top, I would have missed the counter completely and would have probably ended up on the ground, on my ass. 

"Yes." I answered, recovering from the straightforwardness. That was very un-Dave-like. 

"Did Zac tell you about the guy?" 

"The one that fell from the crane?"

He took out a box of pancake mix and some eggs, nodding as he did so. 

"Yes." I answered.

"Did he tell you that we're stuck in the game?" 

"Yes."

"But I also knew about you being stuck in the game from the night in the woods." Dave's head turned to me in surprise and I shrugged under his stare. If we were being honest with one another then I might as well be truthful about what I'd overheard. 

"Did he tell you how the game works?" 

I shook my head, shifting on the counter in nervousness as Dave began pouring the mix into a large bowl.  _What was I getting myself into?_

"It's like truth or dare, except, only dares. And of course the stakes are a lot higher." 

"There are the watchers; the people that come up with the dares, the people that watch just for fun and then there are the players - people like me - who play to win. We do all the dares that the watchers come up with and with each dare we make a lot of money. But in order to actually get all that money, you have to be the last one standing." 

"What most people don't know about is the third group. The designers -" He switched on the stove. 

"They're the creators. The people that make the rules and the people that punish you if you don't follow them." 

"They're the ones that are telling you to keep an eye on me. The ones you met with in that room." 

Dave nodded. 

"If they find out that you know more than I told them you do, they'll either-" 

"Kill me." I finished for him. Jumping off the counter. 

"Suddenly pancakes doesn't sound too good." I mumbled, turning away from the kitchen. 

I heard the stove being switched off behind me. 

"Lyla, wait." 

"What am I going to do?" I asked, turning back to him. 

"It's not like Zac's going to keep a secret, he doesn't even know me!" 

"They could recruit you too." 

"Oh yeah, because I'm so good at doing what you do. Dave, if I can't come home with a stab wound and walk it off the next day!" 

I could feel my heart racing. The more I thought about it the scarier it seemed. Me? Lyla Mikaels with a gun? Lyla Mikaels running around the streets with some kind of underground mafia?  _No, no no no no._ There was no way in hell they would recruit someone like me. Which meant that I'd be killed, which meant I would be dead at nineteen. 

"Lyla, okay don't panic." Dave said, eyes dark with worry as he saw mine frantically searching his face. 

"I'll figure it out. I'll keep you safe." 

"Why?" I heard myself cry out. 

"You don't give a shit about me! You made that perfectly clear last night!" 

I knew it was the panic talking. I knew it was the fear. 

"You treat me like shit why would you want to help me?" 

Dave's jaws tightened. 

"That's not true." He slowly said, trying to stay calm. 

"Yes that is true! I am so sick of being jerked around, maybe if you just left me alone I wouldn't have been so fucking caught up in trying to figure you out!" 

Dave's eyes widened when I swore. If it wasn't for the fear fueled anger, I would have been shocked too. But I was scared and definitely not ready to die and blaming it all on Dave seemed like my only option. 

My anger riled up his. 

"I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling, Lyla! I've never given a shit about anyone before and now you waltz into my life and now I'm always fucking worried for you, can't you fucking see that?"

I froze. 

"I don't know what the hell is going on with me but suddenly I am always fucking thinking about you and I have no clue why!" 

"I don't know how but -" He trailed off and looked away.

I took a step forward, eyes on him. 

"Finish that sentence." I half ordered, half pleaded. 

"But I fucking care, Lyla." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update, I'm definitely more free now so I'll have another chapter up later this week. I feel like we're finally getting somewhere and I can't believe I'm only on the tenth chapter! Definitely a lot more to come so stay tune and tell me what you thought about this one!


	12. Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there were some mistakes, I wanted to post this as soon as possible and didn't read it through as many times as I usually do with the others.

My voice is caught in my throat. His confession knocking the breath out of me. 

I didn't know if he could hear me,  _I could barely hear myself,_ but I somehow managed a, "what?"

Dave closed the distance between us. Not that there was ever  _much_ distance between us. I always found myself gravitating towards him, whether I wanted to or not. 

He stopped before me, dark eyes on mine. Searching for some sign of disapproval - some sign that I didn't want this - didn't want  _him._

When there was none, he leaned down, slowly. Eyes closing only at the last second as his lips pressed against mine. 

I had been frozen this entire time. Stunned and blindsided by his confession but the second his lips touched mine, the second his mouth moved, I responded. And this time I wasn't going to let him slow down the moment. I wanted him. I wanted him much more than I have ever wanted anything. 

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my self completely against him. Dave's hands went down to my thighs and with one swift pull, picked me up. 

I had  _never,_ ever done this before but my body seemed to know how to react. I wrapped my legs around his hips, keeping myself up and against him as his tongue slid between my lips. 

I could feel him moving us backwards. Moving us back onto his bed. 

Was I ready for this? The farthest I had ever gone with a guy was with Dave and we hadn't even gone  _that_ far. 

His knees hit the mattress of the bed and then we were both falling backwards. 

Dave unwrapped my arms, grabbing my hands by the wrist and pinned them above my head. I whined in protest. I wanted to feel him. 

He responded my dragging his lips down my cheek, my jaw and finally my neck. 

I gasped at the contact of his wet kiss. 

"Dave." 

He hummed in response. 

I had to tell him. I had to tell him before I got lost in him. 

"Wait." 

His teeth grazed against my skin and I couldn't help but arch my body up against him. 

"I have to-" Another gasp as he moved down my chest. 

Why did this feel so good? 

_Did I really have to tell him?_

I was fighting an inner battle with myself. I wanted to tell him but I didn't want this to stop too. I wanted him to keep kissing me,  _all_ of me. 

I stopped immediately at that. I had never,  _ever_  thought of a guy in that way and Dave had to know what he was about to do. What  _we_ were about to do. 

"I have to tell you something." 

Dave stopped and looked up from where he was just beginning to pull down the strap of the dress I had worn last night. 

"What?" He asked, his eyes were so dark and when he spoke I could feel his breath against my chest. 

"I've-" I bit my lip in nervousness.

I propped myself up on my elbows. 

"I've never had-" 

Dave's eyes widened and he pushed himself up as well. I frowned at the loss of his body against mine. 

"You're a virgin?" His voice was laced with disbelief. 

I kept my bottom lip between my teeth, nodding timidly. 

"How-" 

"What?" 

" _Why_  are you a virgin?" 

I frowned. Was he going to call me a prude?

Dave caught on and shook his head. 

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant-" 

"Lyla, you're actually so fucking hot- _gorgeous_ -I don't understand why anyone wouldn't have tried with you." 

I looked away. One because I was blushing like a tomato, I cold literally feel my cheeks heating at his compliment and two, because what I was about to say next was embarrassing. 

"It's not like anyone hasn'ttried. I just...never...wanted...to..." 

I looked back at Dave a for second before looking down at the sheets we were just laying on a second again. 

"With them." 

I could feel the tension in the room change as soon as I had said that.  _Was it bad?_ Was it wrong to admit that I hadn't wanted anyone in this way before? 

"And you want to...with  _me_?" Dave asked, again, in disbelief. 

God, I just wanted to disappear. 

He was making me so nervous. I bit my lip again, a nasty habit that I had been determined to get rid of before coming to college but I couldn't help it. Not when Dave was staring at me like I had grown two rabbit-sized ears and  _especially_ because we were talking about sex. 

"Don't do that, fuck." Dave groaned.

And my eyes instantly snapped back to his face.  _What?_

"With your lips. Don't do that." His voice was deeper this time, and his eyes looked like it had when I'd stopped him earlier. 

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and Dave leaned backing, his thumb resting on my bottom lip. 

"It makes me want to fuck you until you see stars." He practically growled, before pulling my bottom lip free. My heart was beating so fast, I wondered if it was possible for it to beat out of my chest all together. 

"Oh." I breathed, earning a chuckle from Dave. 

"Okay we won't do that. We'll just take it slow, okay?" 

His eyes were on my lips again and it would be a lie if I were to say that I was not curious about the "until you see stars" part. 

He paused, dark eyes going up to meet mine. 

"Or do you want to stop?" Dave smirked, knowing very well what my answer would be. 

I shook my head anyway. Never. Not when it came to him. 

His smirk grew and I couldn't help but smile. 

His lips found mine again and this time, he let me touch him. With one hand, I pulled him flush against me and the other, I let run through his already messy hair. 

His one hand guided my leg up and back around him and he moved closer to me. 

I gasped when I felt him -  _him -_  against me. 

I didn't know why or how I had the courage to pull such a move like the next one but his body was reacting to me as much as I was to his and so I pushed back against him, making the both of us sit up as I climbed onto his lap. 

"Lyla." He mumbled against my mouth. 

I pulled away only for a second before pressing my lips against his neck. 

I could feel the sharp intake of breath he took the second my mouth met his hot skin and I wanted nothing more to hear him breath my name again. 

I tugged at his hair and rocked my hips once. 

His moan echoed in my ears and I rocked pressed down on him again. His hands came to grip my hips. 

Dave pulled away completely after that, halting me from rocking my hips again and making my lips lose contact. 

"Lyla." He panted, looking at me through lustful eyes. 

"Stop." 

"We're taking it slow okay? You have to be sure." 

Hormone-fueled me wanted me to tell him I was sure. I was so sure about this and just wanted to continue whatever we were doing but I knew that I couldn't just give it all up the second he said he cared about me. 

Dave was right. We should wait. 

He smiled at me as I nodded in understanding. 

"Now how about those pancakes?" 

*** 

We were back in the car with my bags packed. Although I wanted to stay with me again, I knew that if I did, Brianna would be livid. 

I had ignored her enough and she would want to know what had happened. Which I wasn't too clear about now that my stomach was full and I was clear of whatever spell Dave had had me under back in his apartment. 

Did him saying he cared mean that we were  _actually_ dating? Did he even  _date?_ He had said he'd never just slept with someone before which probably meant that he'd never wanted to date in the past... Did that mean he didn't want to date me? 

"What are you thinking about?" 

I bit my lip as I turned to him, not realizing I had been frowning at the road before us. 

He glanced at the lip that was between my teeth and I released it instantly. Remembering exactly what he'd said about it while we were fighting to keep it slow on his bed. 

"What does this mean?" I found myself asking without exactly being sure if I  _should_ ask. 

"What do you mean?" Dave asked, turning towards my dorm. 

"So you care about me." I stated. 

I watched as his jaws flexed and he glanced at me with nervous eyes. 

"Yes." He managed and I wondered if he'd ever even uttered those words before. 

"So what does that mean?" I pushed, quieter than the first time I'd asked it. 

Dave parked in the guest parking outside of the dorm entrance. 

I watched him as his shoulders rose, only to fall back again. A shrug. 

That was my answer? 

"I don't know." Dave said, turning off the engine. 

"You don't know?" I echoed. 

Was he really going to pull this again after this entire morning? I had basically admitted to wanting to have sex with him  _after_ admitting that I had never wanted any guy in that way and this was his response? 

"So what, I'm just something you can get your kicks out of every now and then?" 

"Stop, Lyla. You know I wouldn't do that." 

I couldn't help it. I was bitter. Again. 

"I've never been with anyone-for a long time - and not in the way you're asking for." 

"Great." I managed through gritted teeth before grabbing my bag. The doors clicked locked. I tried to push them open anyway. 

"Let me out." 

"Stop trying to run away every time I say something you don't want to hear." Dave argued. 

"Stop saying things I don't want to hear." I countered, shooting him a glare. 

Dave chuckled, mood shifting as his lips pulling up in his signature smirk. Mine threatened to do the same and I wanted to kick myself. 

Were my moods going to be as unpredictable as his now? 

"You're so childish." Dave said, poking my ribs with his finger. I pushed away the smile and pulled away from him. I was not going to let myself be sucked back into whatever this was. I needed an answer or I was out. 

Half of me didn't really believe that part about me actually leaving whatever this was for good but it was the effort that counted and I would try. 

Dave sighed and dropped his hand. 

"Do you want this?" Dave asked, looking at his steering wheel. 

Hadn't I made myself clear? I might as well as shouted it from the highest floor of the Empire State building. 

"Do you want  _me_?" He asked the last part so quietly I wasn't sure if I had heard him correctly. 

Dave looked up at me then, eyes troubled and muddled with some kind of emotion I had yet to see and to decipher. 

"Of course." I breathed, eyebrows furrowing at his question and the way he was looking at me so desperately. 

Relief washed over his features and I had a million questions already forming. 

"You want hearts and flowers." Dave said, leaning back against the seat of his car and looking out of the window, a lazy smile on his lips. 

I nodded. 

"I want hearts and flowers." 

His eyes closed shut then. His chest rose slowly up and then down again. 

I waited for his response. Waited for his reply. 

It was probably the longest five seconds of my life. Just sitting there, bag still slung on my arm with only Dave's breaths and my own heart ringing in my ears all I could hear.

"Okay." He said, voice gruff and eyes reopening. 

Okay? I echoed in thoughts. 

Dave turned to me, leaning over the compartment between our two seats. I opened my mouth to respond but caught my breath when his face came closer. 

_Oh._

"I want hearts and flowers." He stated, arrogant smirk replacing that troubled frown of his.

And then he brushed my lips with his. Waiting for me to respond. 

I leaned the rest of the way. 

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed and can't wait for you guys to read the next one! Please tell me what you thought!


	13. Twelve

Dave unlocked the car doors when we broke away and I smiled. 

Hearts and flowers meant  _more..._ right _?_

"What are you going to do for the rest of the day?" Dave asked, falling into step beside me once we'd both gotten out of the car. He grabbed my bag from my hands and I shot him a surprised look, one that he ignored as he led the way to my dorm. 

"Well, I haven't hung out with Brianna for a while." 

"You hung out with her yesterday?" 

I smile at that. Did that mean he wanted to spend more time with me? 

"I know, but I haven't  _really_ hung out with her. She'll probably want to talk about stuff." 

"Stuff as in me?" Dave shot me a worried look. 

"I won't say anything about what you told me." I reassure and he nods. 

Dave pauses while I scan my keycard at dorm entrance and the doors click, unlocking. He pulls it open silently and waits for me to walk through. 

I didn't know what to think. On one hand, Dave was acting nice and this was probably the longest we had gone without arguing over something or without his mood drastically changing and that alone made me wonder just how long it would last. 

If he sincerely liked me and cared about me, I hoped this meant that we wouldn't scream at each other anymore. At least not as often. 

"I think I'll run some errands while you hang out with her." 

We entered the elevator and Dave pressed the button for the fifth floor. 

"So about Thanksgiving..." Dave asked, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck. 

I suddenly remembered the conversation we had in the awkward pretend date with Bri and Sam. 

"Do you have to come?" I asked. I wasn't exactly keen on introducing him to my parents or my brother when we had only decided five minutes ago that there could be something more than just a few kisses here and there in this. 

"Do you want me to?" Dave asked, getting out first. 

"Not really." I admitted, following him. 

Dave looked down at me, frowning. "Why not?" 

His voice sounded guarded and my heart lurched. Were we about to fight again? I didn't want to. Not when we'd gone for a whole fifteen minutes without it  _and_ definitely not in my dorm hallway where there were literally about five other students walking down it. Three of which were girls who all goggled Dave with hungry eyes as soon as they caught sight of him. 

"Because they would think it's weird." I stopped by my door. 

"Can we talk about this later? I don't want to fight." I sighed. 

"We don't have to." Dave stubbornly said. 

"Do  _you_ want to come?" 

I wondered if Bri was behind the door. It wasn't exactly like the one Dave had in the third room of his apartment so if she was, she could probably hear everything we were saying. 

Dave's jaws clenched. "I don't care." 

"Okay. Issue solved. You won't come." I retorted, nose crinkling in confusion as I did so. 

So why was he acting all pissy if he didn't care? Why was he making this a bigger thing than it actually was? He didn't have to come and I didn't want to introduce him to my family just yet so it was a win-win. 

I watched his eyes hardening as he dropped my bag on the ground. 

"See you." Dave managed before turning abruptly. 

Did he  _want_ to come? Did he want  _me_ to want him to come? 

"Wait." I said, stepping over the bag and following after him. 

"I want you to come." I heard myself say. Which was far from the truth since just a second ago I had inwardly decided I didn't want to introduce him to my parents. But, at the same time, I also didn't want this to end our time together like this. He was too big headed to say he wanted to anyway. 

"Yeah?" The relief in his eyes made disregard my hesitation completely. He wanted this. He wanted to be a part of my life. 

I nodded, smiling. Dave's lips pulled up immediately. 

"Okay, then." 

I felt his arms snake around my waist and then he was pulling me into him, lips pressing against mine for just a second. I felt the electricity shoot right through him and into me and I wanted nothing more to deepen the kiss but then Dave was pulling away with a knowing smirk. 

"I'll pick you up at eight." He said, turning back to the elevators. 

I let out the breath I was holding and turned back to my door. Him meeting my parents within just a week would probably make record time for all relationships. Did anyone meet the parents within such a short time?

Taking in a deep breath and preparing to face whatever I would see behind this door, I scanned my card and pushed through. 

Brianna was sitting with Sam on her desk. Head bent over a textbook. At the sound of the door opening she turned, eyes wide with surprise. 

"Lyla!" She exclaimed. And then frowned. 

"Where the hell have you been? Just cause you have a boyfriend doesn't mean you can just throw everything out the window!" 

'Your brother keeps calling me asking about you coming for Thanksgiving, your mom texted me this morning-did you even go to class?" 

I gave her a guilty smile. "Hey." 

" _You_ skipped class?" Bri went on, gasping for dramatic effect. 

"It was just today." 

"You skipped  _classes?"_ Sam asked, eyes equally wide. 

I frowned. I hated the sound of that. I didn't like feeling like one of those students that just did nothing and barely cared about their grades. I cared tremendously. 

"Lyla Michaels, we may have to stage an intervention." 

"Do you love him already or something?" Sam asked, eyeing the bag that I was repacking for the night. Bri's eyes went to it too. 

"You're staying there again?" 

I bit my bottom lip. I really wished I could tell them. Tell them that Dave had only  _just_ told me he cared about me and we were finally a genuine couple and not one staged so he could be some sort of agent for the game designers. 

But I couldn't. Not only would that put Dave in danger but it would would Bri and Sam in it as well. And I didn't want my two best friends getting into any of this. 

So instead of explaining that this was actually a big thing for me, for him to  _ask_ me to stay there and not just command it. Instead of explaining to them that this time there was something genuine, I just nodded. 

Bri and Sam exchanged uneasy glances and Sam shrugged as if to answer her unvoiced question. 

"Bri, don't." I said, frowning at her opening mouth. I didn't want to talk about Dave anymore, at least not in the way she wanted to talk about him. 

"I'll be careful and I'll take things slow." 

"You spending an entire week at his is  _not_ taking it slow." My best friend argued. 

"We're not doing  _anything._ We're just talking, getting to know each other." I knew I hadn't sold that one very well. Her eyebrow raised in suspicion. 

"Sure." 

I rolled my eyes and looked at the desk that they both had been hunched over a second ago. 

"What are you two doing, anyway?" 

Bri sighed and I silently thanked her for letting it go. One day I would tell her. One day I would tell her about all of this and it would all make sense...just not today. 

"Well, I'm helping Sam here with history. We're on the Roman Empire and this idiot just named Attila as one of the caesar's." 

"Shut up Bri, not everyone's a smart ass like you." 

"Okay if you had guessed someone Greek I would understand. You literally just blurted the first name you could think of!"

"Oh my god. Ly,couldn't Attila be a good Roman name? If I was Zeus I would name my son Attila." 

Bri groaned and dropped her head on the table and into Sam's textbook. 

"What?" Sam asked, looking dumbfounded by Bri's reaction. 

"Zeus is a Greek god, Sam." I said, laughing softly at him. 

Sam huffed. "I suck." 

"Yeah, you do!" Bri said, voiced muffled by the book. 

"Have you tried watching some crash courses online? They're super helpful and will give you some background stuff." 

"Oh my god, yes!" Bri exclaimed, curly hair flying as she quickly raised her head, reaching for her laptop and the earphones that were attached. 

"You sit right here and watch this video and then I'll quiz you." 

She set up the video for him and moved from the chair so he could take her place. 

"Here." She said, handing him the earphones.

I looked at the screen and it read, "the Holy Roman Empire: for History Dummies". I chuckled softly as Sam slid into the seat and took the apple pods from her outstretched hand. 

Once he was settled and watching, Bri turned her brown eyes on me. 

"You going to tell me how far you guys have gone or what?" She asked, smiling. 

I was relieved that she was no longer going to press the being there too often subject. She sat on her bed and I followed. 

If I couldn't get advice on the bad stuff, maybe I could get advice on the easier stuff. Like exactly what to do when it came down to  _that._

"So?" Bri asked as I crossed my legs in front of her. 

"We've kissed.  _A lot."_

"Has he tried to get you to do anything?" 

I remembered how he'd stopped me this morning when I had practically pounced on him. 

"Uh-" 

"Bri! It's fucking Augustus not Attila!" Sam exclaimed from behind us. I laughed at his genuine surprise. 

"Both earpieces in Samuel!" Brianna scolded. Sam rolled his eyes but returned to the video. 

"No. But I...want to." 

Bri's brown eyes widened and for a moment, I wondered if it was possible for them to get so wide so they would pop out of their sockets but the thought made me sick, so I just smiled at her sheepishly. 

"I really like him." It was true. No guy had ever made me feel like the way Dave did. Not there were so many before him but he was the only one that had ever captured my attention so completely that even the thought of him made my stomach flutter. 

"And does he  _really_ like you?" 

I frowned. "What's  _that_  supposed to mean?" 

"Lyla once you do it, it's done. You can't take it back, I just-you've waited  _this_ long. I just, I just want you to be sure, that's all." 

"I am sure." I argued but a bit of me agree with her. When it came to Dave, I couldn't really think things out clearly, hence, me caving me and inviting him home for Thanksgiving. 

"Okay, maybe I'll wait." 

"I'm sure after Thanksgiving break you'll know. It'll give you some time to think things through clearly since you guys won't be together twenty four seven." 

I gave her a guilty smile and she frowned. 

"You're  _taking_ him with you?" 

"I want him to meet everyone." 

"Lyla." There was a warning in her tone and I crossed my arms over my chest. I was getting fed up with her telling me what to do with Dave. 

"Bri, I like him and I don't care if things are going too fast. It feels right to me and I don't really appreciate it when my best friend shits on everything I'm doing." 

Bri's frown deepened. "I'm just trying to help you out." 

The hurt in her eyes made my anger fade. I had no right to be angry with her. Hell, if she was the one in my situation, I would be wary of Dave too. 

"I know." I sighed, dropping my arms. 

"I'm sorry." 

Bri echoed my sigh.

There was a short silence. One that was filled with some muffled ancient-themed music from Sam's video which he was watching way too loudly. I looked down at my hands which were laced together on my lap. 

"I'm shitting on everything, huh?" Bri asked, tone going back to teasing. 

I smiled in relief. She wasn't going to hold it against me. 

"Sorry." I said again. 

Bri shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you just swore, Lyla." 

I followed her laughter and pulled her into a hug. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her and I was grateful that she'd forgiven me for my outburst. 

*** 

It was after dinner that Dave finally texted me. 

_*You okay?*_

While Sam took over the conversation with his history class story, I typed back a response. 

The feeling of the device in my hand was almost foreign. I hadn't used it properly in days thanks to either it dying out because I always ended up at Dave's or me completely forgetting about it because of, well, Dave. 

I made a mental note to myself to call my brother and parents later. I had practically cleared all notifications of texts or calls from them but I still needed to respond before they set out a search party for me. 

 _*Are you?*_ I texted back. He hadn't contacted me the whole day and I had gotten all jittery and nervous in the meantime. 

 _*Why wouldn't I be?*_ I didn't like the turn these messages were taking. Did I tell him I was worried that things had changed because he hadn't texted me in the past six hours? 

_*There's a small party tonight at my place. Maybe you should stay on campus.*_

I frowned. 

_*Why can't I come?*_

I didn't have to wait long for a reply. Which was a relief because the longer I stared at the text I sent, the more I realized how needy it sounded. 

_*You know why.*_

I stared at his text. Did he mean that he was going to have people from the game over? People like Zac, the one he worked with, or people like the designers? Was he going to tell them about me? About what I knew? 

"You okay?" Bri asked, looking at my reflection in her rear mirror. 

I locked my phone and put it away. 

"Yeah...I-" I cut myself off. If I couldn't ask for her advice on the stuff about the game, I might as well as ask her about this stuff. The relationship stuff. 

"Dave's having a party and he won't invite me." 

"What?" Bri and Sam said at the exact same time. Sam turned in the passenger seat. 

"Are you sure it's not like a guy's night or something." 

The words "you know why" came to mind and I nodded my head. I was a hundred percent sure. "It's not a guy's night." 

"Maybe it's okay. Maybe it's just business? Isn't he promoter?" 

"I've  _been_  to his 'business' parties." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I couldn't help but feel a nagging sense of paranoia. Everyone knew that he was supposed to watch over me, wouldn't  _not_ having me there look bad on his part? 

"Do you think he would cheat?" 

My eyes widened at Bri's question. Just a few seconds ago, I was paranoid because I thought he was hiding something from me that I should know. Now I was feeling nervous about him cheating. 

But would he though? He had just admitted to having feelings for me earlier today, he wouldn't just turn around and get with some other girl...right? 

I bit my lip and checked my phone again, tapping it against my leg when the screen lit up only to show no new notifications. 

"Lyla?" Sam asked, looking at my nervous expression. 

"Maybe you should crash the party." Bri suggested. I snapped my gaze to where I could see a bit of her face in her rearview mirror. She was wiggling her brows in mischief. 

"No. I shouldn't." 

"Why not?" Sam argued. 

"It's rude."

"And him not inviting his  _girlfriend_  to a party isn't?" 

"You guys-" 

"I'm going to Brooklyn, direct me once we get there." Bri stated, making an immediate lane switch. 

"Bri! I can't-!" 

"Why? Because he'll get  _mad?_ Who the fuck are you Lyla?  _You_ should be mad!  _Your_ boyfriend is having a party and won't explain why you're not invited." 

"And to be honest, Ly, I don't trust him." Sam added. 

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "What? At the cafe you were practically in love with him!" 

"I don't know, you're different around him! You don't talk to us as much and you're  _always_ with him now, at least, if you're going to be there all the time, might as well as find out what you're getting into." 

"Just say you left something really important." 

"He might not take advanced biochemistry like you Bri but he's not dumb." I said again, reclining in my seat as Bri turned to the bridge. 

"You can't just sit back and let him walk all over you. Give me the address." 

A part of me knew I should disagree but I also desperately wanted to know what was going on. So I entered his address into Google Maps and handed it over to Sam. 

*** 

About twenty minutes later, I was sitting in the car in front of an all too familiar brick apartment.

"You guys stay in the car okay? I'll text you if everything is okay." I said, staring at the light in the window that I knew was his living room. 

"Okay." Bri said, staring up at it too. 

"I'll beat his ass if anything's going wrong." Sam growled. 

I was quite uncertain of just when exactly Sam's attitude towards Dave had changed but based on how quick Bri was to turn the car towards Dave's home, I knew she had something to do with it. 

Bri was suspicious of Dave since day one. And if she wasn't so spot on with her suspicions I would have been more than annoyed. 

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the handle and pushed open the door. Stepping out quickly. 

With one last glance at my two best friends who had unwillingly and probably set me on the path for disaster, I stepped into Dave's apartment. 

The stairway was well lit despite the old feel of the building. I went up a flight of stairs before knocking on the red door. There was music and laughter coming from the inside. I was beginning to feel like Dave  _had_ lied about the purpose of the party.

When nobody opened the door, I tried the handle. It was unlocked and I pushed the heavy door open. 

There were about thirty people in the living room. There was even a beer pong table but it was  _definitely_ not a guy's night. 

As soon as I entered, I could see that about 1/3 of the thirty people here were girls, all tall, thin and dressed in short skirts and dresses. 

I looked around the room for a familiar head of dusty brown hair, earning myself some strange looks as I did so. 

I could just make out the top of Dave's head on the couch. 

I slid around a guy who was blocking the view. As our shoulders brushed, he turned towards me. 

" _Lyla?"_ It was Zac. 

"What are you doing here?" 

I was about to respond when my eyes finally found Dave. He was seated one end of the couch, the far end, so I could see him perfectly. And on his lap was a pretty little blonde. 

I felt my stomach drop and Zac's question was completely forgotten. 

Bri was right. I was wrong. This wasn't a "business" party it was just an excuse to get me away from him. 

The hearts and flowers and talk about more had been a complete lie. Bullshit he probably fed it to me so I would stop crying and nagging at him. 

I could feel the exact same tears that I'd shed so many times in the past week come to surface as I watched him and the girl. She had her thin arm wrapped around his neck, her hand in his hair. They were talking to someone, a genuine smile on Dave's face as the girl laughed at something the man in front of them said. 

Dave turned to look at the girl but in doing so, caught my eye. His smile dropped and I immediately turned. 

"Lyla!" Zac's voice called but I was already out of the apartment. 

Dave had convinced me to stay over and over again but this was it. This was the last straw. I wasn't coming back,  _fuck_ the game and  _fuck Dave._

"Lyla!" It wasn't Zac's voice this time but I kept running anyway. 

I was glad he lived on the second floor. I couldn't exactly see through my tears and I would have probably fallen over and made an even bigger fool out of myself. 

 _God,_ I was an idiot. A man that had never committed before, committing to me?  _Me?_ What kind of twisted romantic novel did I think I was a part of? 

I could hear him jumping the last few stairs as I pushed open the main door of his apartment building. 

"Stop running!" He yelled, grabbing my arm and turning me back to him. I wrenched myself away from him. 

"No!" I screamed and I could hear the car doors opening behind me. 

"Can I just explain? That wasn't what it looked like!" Dave's eyes were wide with panic. 

"Will you fucking stop acting like you care?" 

"I do!" Dave argued. 

Bri made a grab for my arm too but I shook her off. Taking a step towards Dave. 

God, I was  _so_ mad. I would not be fooled into any of his tricks again. 

"How dumb do you think I am? I won't fall for that again!" 

"Can you just let me explain?!" 

He was getting mad but I was madder. I pushed at him. Surprising me, him and my two best friends. I didn't think I had it in me to be violent but I was angry and hurt and my hands were shaking. I was so furious, I could feel hot tears threatening to fall. 

"I don't want to see you again!" 

Dave looked at me with worried eyes and I pointed an accusing finger at him. No. I knew how it worked. First it was the angry words and then it was the big eyes that made me feel like he was only opening up to  _me_ and that only I got to see that part of him. Now I knew it was a lie. It was all a lie. 

"Don't look at me like that!" 

"Lyl, you have to let me explain. I'm trying to help you." 

"I think that's enough." Sam growled, stepping towards Dave. I saw the anger flash in Dave's dark eyes. 

"Fucking back off." Dave growled back, shoving him backwards.

"Sam, don't." I cried, the last thing I wanted was to see my best friend get hurt because of me and Dave. 

"Can we talk?" Dave asked, shooting me a desperate look. It was desperate enough for it to make my heart flutter. _Why did I respond like this to him?_

"Can we talk alone." 

Bri grabbed my arm, no doubt fearing that my silence meant something else. "Come on, Ly." 

"Please. Just hear me out. Just hear me out so you know I wasn't ruining it." 

"Nothing you have to say will change what she saw." Bri argued with him but Dave kept his pleading eyes on me. 

"Ly, please just let me explain. Let me explain and then you can leave." 

I was no longer shaking. My anger had subsided enough for me to know that Dave wouldn't actually let me go before he told me exactly what he had to say. And he probably knew everything about me so there was no hiding.

"It's fine." I said, shrugging off both Bri and Sam who had been standing in front of me protectively. 

Both of them shot me an incredulous look. 

"Are you kidding?" Sam spat out. 

Dave shot him a smug smile and I rolled my eyes at him. I was leaving. Regardless of what he had to say, I just hoped that the look I shot Bri was enough to communicate exactly that. 

My best friend shook her head in disbelief before grabbing Sam. 

"Come on, we'll wait in the car." 

Dave kept his eyes on them until both doors slammed closed. Only then did his dark eyes go to mine. 

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. 

I crossed my arms. He better have a lot to say than just "sorry". 

"She's not some random girl." 

"Let me guess, she's another girl you have to watch over and you care about her too?" 

"What?" Dave gaped. 

"No. Of course not." 

"She's..." 

"She's one of the designers." 

He shot a worried glance at Bri's car. 

My arms stayed crossed. I didn't care if she heard or not at the moment. 

"Okay that doesn't explain why you she was on your lap looking like she owned you." 

A part of me was surprised that these designers, who both Dave and Zac claimed to be so powerful looked like any other person on the street. She hadn't looked scary. Just thin and tall. A tad pretty but I would never admit that out loud. 

I could see the tops of Dave's lips threatening to curve upwards and I smacked his chest. 

"She likes me." 

" _Oh_  that explains everything so well. Thanks. I'll be leaving." 

I turned away from him, anger returning. Was that his great explanation? 

"You're so cute when you're jealous." 

I froze mid-step. So we were back to the mood swings. 

"Jealous? I am not!" I argued, turning back to him. 

"I feel like a fucking idiot for believing in you! That's how I feel!" 

His smile disappeared. 

"I'm trying to see if I can get you off the hook by playing nice with her!" 

"Tell me that doesn't show I care!" 

I took a step back. What? 

"I have never done shit like this before, you know that." 

"Shit like this as in relationship or-" I began. 

"Shit like this as in doing something for someone because I cared about them getting hurt." 

I bit my lip, looking to the ground. Did I believe in him? Again? Just how many times was that excuse going to be enough for me to forgive him?

"You have to believe me, Lyla. I wouldn't hurt you." He begged. 

"You've hurt me before." I reminded. Closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at him. I knew he was giving me  _that_  look. The desperate plea that made me want to do everything I could to make him feel better. The one he'd used when I'd tried to leave after that night on the street, the look he'd given me in the car...

My mind was whirling. The image of the blond on his lap had been engraved into my memory and I knew I wouldn't be able to see anything  _but_ that for a while even if I did believe in him. And my friends? My friends who literally just witnessed the both of us screaming at the top of our lungs? What would I say to them? 

"Not anymore, okay?" Dave said. 

I felt his hands come around my shoulders, his fingers were rough and calloused but his touch was soft and gentle and this time I didn't have it in me to fight him off. 

I shut my eyes once more. Why did I already feel my resolve slipping? 

"Ly, I'm sorry." 

I wanted to tell him it was not okay but I knew he knew what I saw in there was wrong. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't do it anymore but I heard myself asking, "what do I tell my friends" instead.

I looked at him this time and his eyes were light with relief. 

"So you believe me? You know I'm new at this, I don't quite understand the rules." 

I offered him a small smile, one that he mirrored. 

"Well for starters don't let other women sit on your lap." 

Dave looked at me with mischievous eyes. "Duly noted." 

I nodded, blinking away the last of my tears. 

"I  _am_  sorry Lyla." Dave whispered when he saw my tear-stained cheeks. He raised his hand to my face, thumb wiping at the wetness. My eyes fluttered when his skin brushed mine.

"I just don't want to see them hurt you." 

"I thought I was finding a way to save you." 

"You can. You  _will._ It just doesn't have to be through her." 

He pulled me into him and I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. Pressing my face into his chest. 

"I'm sorry baby." Dave said against my hair, lips pressing against my head. 

I nodded. 

It was okay. It was was just a misunderstanding. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really want this story to progress so I wrote a lot for this chapter! Tell me what you thought?


	14. Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidenote: Just wanted to say how crazy it is that this story has over 1K reads! Love you all and thank you so much for reading, sorry I've been really late about the updates but I swear they'll be more frequent from now on! Enjoy!

*********

We stayed like that for a minute. His lips pressed against my hair and my arms wrapped tightly around him.

It was one of those hugs that you just wished would go on forever, the kind of hug that made you feel closer to a person; the ones that brought you together.

"I want to ask you to stay but I don't want them know about this. About us."

A second ago I would have questioned if he was embarrassed to be seen with me in front of all of his friends but now I knew they weren't just his friends and I believed in him. If he thought keeping me out of their sight was the best way to keep me safe then I trusted him.

"Stick to the rules, Mr." I teased, pulling away from him so I could look at his eyes.

They were soft and gentle and a little bit teasing too as he replied, "as long as you agree to play."

Dave leaned in to me again, this time head dipping to meet my lips. I awaited the touch that I knew would send an electric shock through my entire body. I loved that feeling. I loved that my body reacted to him so quickly although I didn't quite understand it.

When the kiss finally came, I pressed my body against his. Savoring every second of it before it was over.

Dave pulled away first, chest raising and falling rapidly and with eyes hooded with desire. _Good_. I thought.

 So he felt the same way I did when he kissed me.

"I can pick you up after they clear out. I'll try to get them to leave now but it might be difficult, they'll have a lot of questions."

The image of me running out of there came to mind and I couldn't believe I'd caused such a scene.

Dave seemed to have read my mind.

"It's okay. Don't worry about anything. I'll tell them it wasn't you."

"Zac saw me."

"It's okay, Zac will cover for us."

"How do you know?"

Dave shrugged. "He's my friend. I'll convince him."

"About the other stuff as well?"

A frown followed the shrug. "I don't know. I need to talk to him about you first...about us."

My heart flutters at the word, "us". This was real. This was happening.

He lets his arms drop to his side and there was a smirk playing on his lips.

"Later baby."

The pet name brings an immediate smile to my face and his smirk grows.

I turn before he does and enter the car.

As soon as I am seated and Dave is no longer with me the mood of the atmosphere does complete 180. The tension in the air is thick and Brianna and Sam are both silent and I knew the second I tried to defend my decision they would argue against it just as fiercely.

Brianna turned on the car and pulled out of the parking spot. I could practically hear my heart beating in my chest.

I didn't know if I should try to at least explain but I had a feeling that even if I did, they would still see what I did as a mistake. If I were in their shoes and they were the ones that had come running down those stairs and yelling at the guy, or in Sam's case, the girl they were supposed to be with only to end up making up, I would think of it as a mistake as well.

But they didn't know how complicated everything was. They couldn't.

 _They're your best friends_. My subconscious scolded me.

I sighed softly in defeat. I had to at least try and explain it to them. I was a terrible liar but if I was going to be with Dave then I had to at least try and improve. _Might as well as start now._

"It was a misunderstanding."

"I don't like him." Sam growled and I remembered the way Dave had stepped forward like he was about to fight him. He probably would too if I hadn't told them to go back to the car.

"You don't have to." I say quietly.

I wait for Bri to say something about the fight but she keeps her eyes on the road.

"Bri?" I asked, nervous for what she had to say.

"I don't like him either Ly and you're so different around him but if this is what you want then it's whatever."

The last part stings but I knew I deserved that nonchalant tone. She'd literally drove all the way to Brooklyn for me to fight with Dave and probably end things but it had completely worked out the other way.

"Okay. Thanks." It comes out awkward and clipped and I want everything to go back to normal but I knew they were both angry with me so I just bite my tongue and sit back against the seat.

Sam hits the radio and I am both grateful and saddened by it. We had never needed to fill a silence with music before but at the same time I welcome the distraction from the still heavy tension. It was a long drive back to campus and I did not want to spend the rest of it counting how many times the three of us sighed.

***

By the time we got back to campus it was a lot later than I had anticipated. I still had homework to do and thanks to the constant drama with Dave I hadn't been able to do any of the extra reading that I normally did to stay ahead and on top of assignments. I also had a freaking biology test which somehow completely escaped my mind but I was good at the subject so I wasn't too worried.

"I'll see you two later." Sam said, getting out of the elevator on the third floor.

"Bye." I reply.

When the elevator closes its quiet again and the tension between Bri and I is still there and I want nothing more than to just ask her to forget about everything and make it all go back to normal but I knew it wasn't that easy.

"I'm sorry." I offer.

The elevator dings for the fifth floor and she walks out first.

"There's nothing to apologize for." She shrugs.

"Then why are you being so closed off?"

She doesn't respond, instead she just scans her key card against the handle of or door to let both of us in.

"Bri?" I ask.

"I told you already Ly. I don't like him and I can't help but feel like you're not telling us something-something big enough for you to completely pardon whatever you saw-"

"It was a misunderstanding, he-"

"Okay that is complete bullshit. You and I both know it so don't feed that shit to me."

I widened my eyes at her words, my mouth was dry and my heart was pounding. Bri and I had never fought like this before. Never in the five years of friendship had she ever sworn me out.

She rolls her eyes at me. "Yeah I thought so."

"What do you want me to say?" I ask, finally finding my voice.

"When have you ever been this secretive with me?"

"I don't have to share everything with you!" I snap.

It was a dumb lie. We shared everything with each other.

Bri shakes her head at me in disbelief, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Does he have something over you? Is he involved in something? Something illegal?"

"What? No!" I answer quickly, I could feel my hands getting sweaty. She was getting too close to the truth.

"Are you protecting him or something? I just don't understand why you won't say anything about him."

"I do! I told you I liked him." I hate that my voice sounds shaky and I know it's from the fear of her finding out above Dave and the game.

"Oh gee. That's great. Thanks bestie."

I'm about to say something equally as sarcastic when my phone begins to vibrate from where I had set it on the table.

I reach for it knowing fully well who it was. I glance at Bri when the caller ID proves me to be correct.

Bri just sighs and turns to her side of the room.

"Turn off the lights when you leave."

I want to stay and make it okay. I really do. Bri is the only person I have ever been close to. Sam and I were close but Bri I shared everything with. Use to, at least.

As much as I want to fix this I know that the only way is to tell her about everything. From that night in the woods to my kidnapping, from the room full of weapons to the game - it was too risky. Maybe if it wasn't her safety at stake then I would have told her but me knowing was bad enough. If I wanted to keep her safe, I had to leave.

I grab the bag I had packed from off the floor and turn off the lights. When the door is closed behind me, I slide to answer.

"Hey..." I hate that my voice sounds shaky.

"What happened?" Dave asks, immediately taking notice.

"Nothing. Just Bri and I fought."

"I'm downstairs." He says. I welcome the familiarity of his voice in my ears. I just want to hug  him like I had before I'd gotten in the car. 

"Okay."

I end the call and press down for the elevator.

***

The front seat is not empty like I thought it would be. Instead, sitting in the passenger seat of Dave's car is Zac.

I give him a small smile before getting in the back.

"Hey." Zac greets when I'm inside.

Dave catches my eye in the rearview mirror and winks playfully. I smile back instantly.

"Hey." I reply to the blue eyed man beside him after the small exchange. It wasn't a "hey baby" but I never thought there would be any of that kind of PDA between us, especially in front of Zac.

"You okay? You ran out earlier."

I nod, forcing the smile to stay on my lips.

"Dave told me about-well, about everything I guess."

Everything as in the fact that I knew more about the game than he'd told me? Or everything as in what Dave and I were?

_"I need to talk to him about you first...about us."_

Dave's words from an hour ago ring in my ear and I had a feeling that Zac at least knew about Dave and I. He wouldn't have been sitting in the car if Dave hadn't told him.

"You're getting yourself into a lot of trouble." Zac warned in the same way he'd warned me that night at the club.

So he knew about both.

"Shut up Zac." Dave warned.

"I'm telling the truth. You know this is bad man."

"You don't have to fucking scare her."

"I am right here." I say to Dave. I didn't like that he was talking like I wasn't sitting right behind him and Zac.

Dave rolled his eyes and I almost wanted to point out what a hypocrite he was for telling me to not to when he had no problem doing it himself.

"They'll be more suspicious if they know you guys are dating."

I take note of the way Dave's hands clench the steering wheel at the word "dating" but I don't comment on his obvious distaste for the word. We were discussing a far more significant matter and now was not the time to pick a fight about commitment issues.

"If they're supposed to be that powerful how are we supposed to hide it?"

"I mean, it isn't George Orwell's 1984. They're not watching our every move, Lyla. They know a lot about us, yes, but stuff like this we can hide, I'm just saying don't let them know." Zac said as Dave took a different exit than we normally do. I guessed that we were taking Zac to his home.

"What do I tell them after this week is over?" Dave asks.

"Just tell them that she doesn't know."

"And then do we keep hiding?"

"I don't know, do you think they'll still be suspicious of her?" Zac responds.

I don't interrupt their conversation. To be honest, I'm surprised that I'm even allowed to listen in since Dave is so secretive about everything but I'm glad I'm in the car with them. I've never heard Dave speak like this to anyone before, let alone listen for this long. It just showed that despite the fact that Dave yelled at and probably threatened Zac on the daily - especially after that night when he'd hit on me - he still trusted him enough to not only let him in on what was going on between the two of us but to also help protect me from the designers.

We pull up by a townhouse. Its lights were on and shining through all five of the windows on this side of the dark brick.

"Probably a good idea to avoid Nadia. You know how she is with you, she's the last person that should find out." Zac was advising as he pulled the door handle of his side open.

Dave's eyes snapped to me again through the rear view mirror. His brown eyes flash momentarily with worry and I instantly piece two and two together. Nadia was the one that had been sitting on his lap. She was one of the designers. I know I should have been scared but all I feel is jealousy. _Had they ever been involved?_

"Okay. Uh, thanks." Dave says, not sounding at all grateful but he didn't seem like the type to accept help easily or happily so that half hearted response might as well as be the best it gets.

"Bye Lyla." Zac bids farewell and I honestly can't believe so much has changed since that night at the club. When I'd drank for the first time after seeing Dave with that half naked girl-my fists clench as jealous shoots through me- _don't go there Lyla._ The last thing both Dave and I needed was a fight about some girl that didn't matter.

"Bye."

When the door closes, I climb over the seats so I'm in the passenger seat.

"Is Nadia the girl that was sitting on your lap?" I ask immediately although I'm pretty sure of the answer.

I expect Dave to make a comment about the number of questions I always seem to have but instead he nods.

"Yeah."

I ask the next one bravely.

"Did you guys ever...?"

Dave looks at me, eyes bright with humor.

"Are you serious?"

"Is that a yes?" I ask, pouting.

"It's a no. I haven't." 

"Is this what a relationship is like? You getting jealous over every girl that breathes the same air as me?" 

I rolled my eyes. 

"If I remember correctly, you were trying to have a pissing contest with Sam in the restaurant earlier this week." 

"I was not." Dave growled playfully. 

It was weird. This thing between him and I. The dynamics had changed greatly since our talk in the car and then our talk outside the apartment. It was sweeter. I was seeing this relaxed part of him. The part that was playful and teased not just growled and smirked. Although I didn't mind the smirking as much as I did the growling. 

"What do you think?" Dave asked, taking one hand off the steering wheel to place it on my thigh. 

I held my breath at his touch and Dave must have realized the intimacy of the action and he immediately withdrew. I frowned when he was no longer touching me. I liked his skin on mine. 

"I was just thinking about Bri." I lied. No way was I going to let him know that I thought his smirking was attractive. It was bad enough as it was now. 

"Did you guys fight about what happened?" He asked. 

And I nodded. "She thinks I'm hiding something." 

"What? Why?" I could hear the edge in his voice already. 

"I'm not acting any different, it's just that she's always been very good at reading things. She knows what we have isn't normal." I reassured. 

"Doesn't mean we're hiding something just because we're not the token couple." 

The edge had turned into a growl. 

I knew I could either argue against him which might turn into another screaming match - you never knew with me and Dave - or I could try something else. 

I placed my hand against his thigh. Hands hesitant but mind determined to see what kind of a reaction it would provoke. 

As soon as he felt my hand on his, Dave's eyes snapped to me and I smiled at him. 

"Don't tease me Lyla." He said, playfully. 

There it was again. From growling to joking. His mood swings were fast enough to give me whiplash. 

"Especially when you can't follow through." 

"What do you mean?" I hummed, making my way up his thigh. 

I watched for a reaction. His jaws clenched and I nearly moaned at the sight of him. _Moaned?_

Just the very idea of it was foreign. Just the fact that we'd gone from talking about the designers to this made me wonder if I had the same mood problems as him. Maybe I was crazy too. 

"You're the one that stopped us last time." I said, softly as I crossed over from thigh to his crotch area. 

The car lurched forward and I gasped, withdrawing my hand quickly. 

"Don't." Dave groaned and I was surprised to hear his gruff voice. 

It was always me that was affected by him. By his voice, by his words, I was always the one that got left panting and craving for more. Hearing his unrecognizable voice made me feel better, it made me feel like I definitely affected him like he did me. 

I slid back into my seat, eyes still on his perfect profile as his lips began to curve into one of his smirks. 

Whatever that had happened, whatever _was_ going to happen, I knew that in this moment, despite the fighting and the yelling, I was glad that I had met him that night in the woods. 

*****

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY so things are really gonna start happening after this chapter! Stay tuned and don't forget to tell me what u think!!


	15. Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I feel like each time I update, I always say I'm going to update again really soon but it never happens so I'm not gonna make any promises this time but I do hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm realllllllly sorry it took so long to post, I was on Spring Break and then i had all my midterms! And now that school's finally over and I'm well into my summer break, I'm thinking I can update more often.

He told me he was going to bail on his appearance at the club tonight and I was beyond glad. 

Both times that I had come with him to one of those, it had ended with me crying. 

"Do you have any homework?" 

Did I? 

I don't remember having enough time to even think it through but I knew I had whatever I needed in my backpack. 

"Do you?" I asked. 

Now that I thought about it, I had to finish my paper for literature. 

"I have some." 

It suddenly occurred to me that I knew close to nothing about Dave. Well, about him as a person. What was his major? What did he like to do when he wasn't working for the Designers? 

My gaze scanned over the records and I rethought that statement. Okay, so I kind of knew what he liked. He liked music. The old kind that I didn't know too much about. 

"What's your major?" I asked, grabbing my backpack and following him to the small dining table by the kitchen. 

"Public relations." 

I nodded in understanding. I guess that made sense. With him being a promoter for clubs. 

"And you're really a med student?" 

I frowned. "Yeah, why?" 

"Isn't that really stressful? Why do you want to be a doctor?" 

"Both my parents are." It was all I knew. All I wanted. 

"So? Did they push you for it or something?" 

My frown deepened as he opened his laptop and I placed my backpack on the chair beside the one I had chosen to sit on. What was so bad about being a med student? What was he suggesting? 

"No, I wanted to be one." 

Dave cracked his smile, easing the tension that I felt building up inside me. "Hey, I'm just asking. Stop frowning at me." 

I rolled my eyes. 

"I hate it when you do that." Dave said, the frown that I had been wearing a second ago transferring to his handsome features. 

I shot him a teasing smile. "Hey, you do it all the time. Stop frowning at me." 

I slid into the chair and proving me to be correct, Dave rolled his brown eyes. I stuck out an accusing finger at him. 

"Hah, see?" 

Dave's smirk grew as he leaned over the small table. His brown eyes were still on my dark blue. A soft gasp escaped my lips as he slowly opened his mouth and bit down gently on my finger. 

With his burning gaze still on me, Dave leaned even further and placed a kiss on my wrist. My eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of his mouth on my skin. Oh, god. 

Dave's hand replaced his lips and then I was being tugged towards him. Not that I needed much force, I was dying to feel more of him touch me. 

Still teasing, Dave kissed my cheek and then dragged his lips down the side of my face. The breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding came out in an audible sigh and I felt the corners of his mouth curve upwards. 

And just as quickly as he had moved towards me, he pulled back. Plopping back on the chair completely and leaving me leaning over the table, eyes closed and chest heaving. 

"Right. Let's study." 

My mouth hung agape and Dave pretended like he didn't realize what he'd just done, what kind of state he'd just left me in. But I knew, I knew  from that boyish grin that was edging onto his lips that he knew exactly what he'd done to me. He was such an ass. 

With a huff, I sat back down on my own chair and pulled a binder out of my bag. Crossing my legs and ruffling through my papers. 

Five minutes passed. I glanced up at Dave who was busy typing on his laptop. 

Ten minutes later and Dave was reading some kind of case study. 

Fifteen. 

All I had managed to do was cross out an extra word in the third sentence of my paper. 

I couldn't work. I couldn't focus on anything but him.  Why did he have to rile me up like that? 

I bit the end of my pen and continued to stare at him. From the way his lips twitched, I knew he knew I was watching. He probably could also see it in my sorry attempt at studying. 

"Okay. Break time." I announced and I pushed myself up from the table in a newfound confidence. 

I didn't really understand what exactly I was doing or how I was going to go about it but before I could even ponder and lose all confidence by overthinking the entire thing, I dropped the pen onto the paper that I had been trying to work on and rounded the corner of the table. 

"Wha-" Dave asked. 

But before he could finish, I was on his lap, straddling him and pressing my lips against his. 

His question died in his throat and Dave immediately responded. 

A smile tugged at my lips. Okay, so I had pulled that off as smoothly as I hoped. 

Dave's fingers dug into my hips and I let out a soft moan which he took as an opportunity to slide his tongue against mine. 

I broke away first, lungs and heart about to collapse. I didn't understand anything about this. I  had never felt this way before about anybody. Never felt this consumed. I felt like he was all around me, his smell, his hands, his kisses. It was all I could think about. He sucked all the air right out of me but it made me feel so alive. 

My eyes shut closed as Dave's kisses went to my neck. All I could think was Dave Dave Dave. 

My hips rolled against his and something in Dave's throat rumbled. My thoughts, what little was left of them at least, sidetracked from the way he made me feel and to way I made him feel. I immediately remembered his reaction to my hand on his thigh in the car, the way he couldn't drive properly underneath my touch. 

I used the fingers that were tangled in his hair to pull him away from my neck. Dave's eyes caught mine and the way they had darkened with want since I'd straddled him only encouraged me. 

I rolled my hips again and that sound from his throat came once more. I could feel him through my jeans and his. 

His hands gripped my hips a little harder and I took that as a sign. I dipped my head to the side and placed a kiss on his neck. Dave tilted his head to the side, allowing me full access. 

I pressed myself against him again and this time, with the added kisses, I earned a full moan from him. Electricity shot through my entire body and as usual, his touch burned my skin. Burned in a way I couldn't ignore. 

I broke away from him and with only my instinct and probably badly written steamy rom com scenes to guide me, I pulled my sweatshirt over my head. 

Dave's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of me in my black bra. 

"Lyla." He growled, closing his eyes. 

I frowned. Had I done something wrong?

"God, you're going to drive me insane." 

And then his lips were on me again. This time even hungrier and more wanting than the previous one. 

I tugged at the hem of his shirt. I wanted it off to. I wanted to see him. 

Dave ignored the plea and grabbed my thighs. He stood up, all the while keeping our lips together.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, pressing our bodies closer together. 

I couldn't quite keep track of where we were going. All I knew was one second he was walking and then the next he was pressing me against the mattress, arms on both sides of me, keeping himself hovering above my body. 

Growing impatient, I didn't take the time to tug at his shirt again, instead, I pulled it upwards and let my hands slide in under. 

Dave grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head. I groaned in frustration. I wanted to feel him under my hands. I wanted to touch him! 

The agitated response to the restriction of my hands were completely forgotten when Dave's open mouth found my chest. I gasped in delight, hips instinctively pushing up and against his. 

Dave stopped and I whined, actually whined in protest. The whine died in my throat when Dave slid his shirt off, revealing his insanely toned abs and chest. 

I propped myself up. His knees were on either side of my hips, pinning me down but not enough to keep me completely against the bed. 

Slowly and still keeping my eyes on his face, I raised myself high enough off the bed to place a kiss on his lower stomach. 

Dave's hands went to my hair, tangling his fingers in my dark locks. 

"Are you sure?" Dave hissed as my hands went to his pants. 

Yes. I have never been more sure. I wanted this. I wanted all of him. 

I opened my mouth to tell him exactly that but then a ringtone, my ringtone sounded from somewhere in the apartment and I would have completely ignored it if it wasn't for the customized tone that I'd assigned to my dad's number so I knew whether to pick up or not. 

I also suddenly remembered that it was Friday and tomorrow was Saturday which meant my parent's Thanksgiving dinner was tomorrow and I had still yet to reply to him, my mother or my brother. 

"It's fine." Dave said, noticing how wide my eyes got and getting off of me. 

I nodded and ran towards the sound of my phone. It was vibrating beside my notebook and literature paper which was still yet to be reviewed. 

"Hey dad." I greeted. 

"Lyla Clementine Michaels, do you have any idea just how long your mother, your brother and I have been trying to reach you?" 

"Sorry, I've just been buried in school work." 

Footsteps approached and I turned to see Dave coming up to me. One eyebrow raised in question as he caught the last few words of my explanation and he was right to do so. Buried in school work? I couldn't even remember when I last thought about school. 

"You could have at least texted, I'm sure you text your friends all the time - how long does it take you to message us a few words? Ten or fifteen seconds?" 

I had expected Dave to return to his seat where he'd been taking some notes but instead he stood in front of me, hands on my hips and pulling me closer. His fingers dug themselves roughly into my sides and I let out an involuntary gasp. 

I smacked Dave for trying to distract me and pushed him away. Skin tingling as my hand met his bare shoulder. 

"Lyla? Are you alright?" 

"Yah, just dropped something." Could quite possibly be my dignity. 

"I'll be home tomorrow." I added, Dave's brown eyes stayed on me, a smirk playing on his lips. I looked at his kitchen wall, if I held his gaze any longer, I feared it would burn right through me. And I would probably end up pouncing on him mid conversation because he had still not put his shirt back on and he literally looked like some kind of Greek god. 

"Is Sam coming with you?" 

I'd completely forgotten about him. Although, he'd left angry at me for forgiving Dave, I hoped that he wasn't mad enough to skip out on Thanksgiving all together. 

"Yes..."

"And I'm bringing a friend." The last part was said softly,I didn't know if it was because I didn't want to tell my father or because Dave was standing right in front of me and within earshot. 

I could hear my dad breathing on the other end of the line. Processing what "bringing a friend" meant exactly. 

"I'll tell your mother, see you tomorrow Lyla." 

"Bye." I said, blinking rapidly as I tried to keep up with the conversation while also appreciating Dave's half nakedness. 

The line went dead and two seconds later, I locked my phone and put it back on the table. 

"A friend?" Dave asked, while making a grab for me again. 

I felt his eyes fall to my chest as he pulled me closer to him and I self consciously crossed my arms. 

His smirk grew. 

"How's that essay going by the way?" He asked, one hundred percent smug with his ability to leave me flustered. 

"Horrible, now get off the desk and let me work." 

"You need a shirt or you won't be able to work." Dave promised, biting his lip as he looked at me. 

I felt the heat in my cheeks and I quickly turned back towards his bedroom. I heard his footsteps behind me and just as I was about to lean over to grab the shirt that I had discarded carelessly to the floor, Dave pushed me from behind. 

With a cry of exclamation, I fell face forward into the sheets. I felt Dave's weight on top of mine and pretty soon he flipped me over, pinning me down with both hands on either side of my shoulders. 

"Should we talk about it?" Dave asked, eyes sincere and no longer glowing with mischievousness like it usually was. 

"Hard to to that when you're pinning me down." 

"A metaphor, really, you seem to run from conversations like this so I might have to pin you down from now on to make you talk." His eyebrows raised as he looked down at me, smiling. 

"Is this a torture technique you learned back at the office?" I teased back. 

His smile was lost and he fixed me with a somber gaze. 

"Ha. Ha." 

I kept my smile so he knew that I was only kidding. Sort of. 

"Lyla, you can tell me if you want me to stop. If you're not ready."

I frowned. "I was ready."

"Okay."

He offered me a shy smile and I wondered how anyone that could do what he does could still sit here and look at me like a high school boy. 

My hand reached out towards him, with a mind of its own, it poked gently the small dimple on the side of his cheek. 

Dave smile faded and he looked at me, eyes searching mine  as I continued to trail my finger from his cheek to his jaw and then finally his lips.

He closed his eyes as my thumb brushed over his bottom lip and I wondered, for a moment, if he felt the same, absolute helplessness whenever he touched me. I wondered if he would so easily give in to me the way I have been doing since the day I met him.

Dave blinked his brown eyes open and leaned down slowly, my eyes fluttered closed as he brushed the same lip that I had run my finger over against my own mouth.

The sigh caught in my throat as he relaxed against me, pinning me down more with his weight than his arms.

Dave didn't deepen the kiss, much to my disappointment. Instead he led the dreadfully slow and soft caress for a few more moments and then flipped over to lay beside me.

My chest still heaved for air though. 

"What are your parents going to think when they see me?" Dave asked. 

I turned my head so I could see his face, his eyes were on the ceiling. Eyebrows furrowed as if he was actually worried about what my parents thought...was he? 

"They'll probably be surprised, I've never brought a boy home."

He smiled.

"I like that." 

I frowned at him. 

"Why?"

Dave turned his head, eyes finding mine and voice completely serious.

"I like that I'm the only one."

As soon as the words were uttered, I felt something weird in my gut. As if there was a knot in my stomach. It was hard to explain, like one of those things that promised something else entirely for the future but I didn't think too much of it since immediately following that statement, Dave smiled at me like that same little shy boy and the strange feeling was replaced with the fluttering of butterflies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, tell me what you think about the chapter! Reading your thoughts and hearing your reactions really encourages me to write more! Thank you for reading!


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